Prediction of the flooding of a mining reservoir in NW Spain

R Álvarez; A Ordóñez; E De Miguel; C Loredo

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.09.072

Prediction of the flooding of a mining reservoir in NW Spain

J Environ Manage. 2016 Dec 15;184(Pt 2):219-228. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.09.072. Epub 2016 Oct 5.

Authors

R Álvarez¹, A Ordóñez², E De Miguel³, C Loredo²

Affiliations

¹ Dep. Explotación y Prospección de Minas, University of Oviedo, Independencia, 13, 33004 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. Electronic address: alvarezrodrigo@uniovi.es.
² Dep. Explotación y Prospección de Minas, University of Oviedo, Independencia, 13, 33004 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
³ Environmental Geochemistry Research and Engineering Laboratory, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.

PMID: 27720329
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.09.072

Abstract

Abandoned and flooded mines constitute underground reservoirs which must be managed. When pumping is stopped in a closed mine, the process of flooding should be anticipated in order to avoid environmentally undesirable or unexpected mine water discharges at the surface, particularly in populated areas. The Candín-Fondón mining reservoir in Asturias (NW Spain) has an estimated void volume of 8 million m³ and some urban areas are susceptible to be flooded if the water is freely released from the lowest mine adit/pithead. A conceptual model of this reservoir was undertaken and the flooding process was numerically modelled in order to estimate the time that the flooding would take. Additionally, the maximum safe height for the filling of the reservoir is discussed.

Keywords: FEFLOW; Flooded mine; GRAM; Mining reservoir.

MeSH terms

Environmental Monitoring*
Floods*
Humans
Mining*
Models, Statistical
Spain
Water Pollutants, Chemical / chemistry*
Water Pollution / prevention & control*

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical