Actions aimed at reducing the diffuse contributions of Acid Mine Drainage from the Riotinto Mine to the Odiel and Tinto river basins (Huelva)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55407/geogaceta95136Keywords:
Environmental liabilities, Iberian Pyrite Belt, comprehensive water managementAbstract
Water pollution by acid mine drainage is a great concern worldwide, especially in historical mining areas where little or no waste management was done. The Riotinto Project is an example of a historical mining area where environmental liabilities greatly pollute the Tinto and Odiel rivers basins. European water regulations and the environmental permit (Autorización Ambiental Unificada) granted to the new operator (Atalaya Mining) enforce action to face this inherited problem. In this regard, the new company has implemented preliminary measures focused on the closure of galleries and has established an integral management system for drainage waters with the aim of reducing the flows generated as much as possible. After monitoring different discharge points in both basins and evaluating the chemical and hydrological results, it can be concluded that since the reopening of the mine in 2015, the previous hydrological trend and behaviour has been broken, reducing the flows and metallic load contributed to the rivers. This is considered as a fundamental first step to mitigate the environmental liabilities pollution-derived in the area.
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