Mining – Effects on Water Resources
“…that the fields are devastated by mining operations, for which reason formerly [Italians] were warned by law that no one should dig the earth for metals and so injure their very fertile fields, their vine yards, and their olive groves. Also they argue that the woods and groves are cut down, for there is a need for an endless amount of wood for timbers, machines, and the smelting of metals. And when the woods and groves are felled, then are exterminated the beasts and birds, very many of which furnish a pleasant and agreeable food for man. Further, when the ores are washed, the water which has been used poisons the brooks and streams, and either destroys the fish or drives them away. Therefore the inhabitants of these regions, on account of the devastation of their fields,woods, groves, brooks and rivers, find great difficulty in procuring the necessaries of life, and by reason of the destruction of the timber they are forced to greater expense in erecting buildings." -- Georgius Agricola, 1550; from: A Medieval Response to Municipal Pollution, by Robert Laure
The following is an example of resources regarding the effects of mining on water resources:
PCBs, MINING, AND WATER POLLUTION
ABSTRACT
The presence of PCB-containing electrical equipment in underground mines has been documented during U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 8, mine inspections conducted over the last 20 years. PCB-containing electrical equipment may be found in mines throughout the world because both electrical systems and mining methods follow the same general patterns. The abandonment of this equipment in underground mines is likely to present worldwide ground water contamination in mining districts.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of man-made structurally-related chemicals manufactured in the United States between 1929 and 1978. In 1978, their manufacture was prohibited, and their use and disposal closely regulated, by the PCB regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Act that regulates industrial chemicals in use, including the disposal of PCBs. PCBs have become a ubiquitous environmental contaminant that have been detected in the air, water, soils, and biosystems, worldwide where they present a threat to human health and the environment. Despite the fact that manufacture has been prohibited in the United States of America and many other countries, PCBs are still used in electrical equipment. Certain continuing uses have been authorized under the PCB regulations. The major use of PCBs authorized by the regulations is dielectric fluids (or contaminants in dielectric fluids) in transformers and capacitors. Because the mining industry has been an extensive user of PCB-containing electrical equipment, some of this equipment has been abandoned underground. Furthermore, PCB-containing electrical equipment remains in underground use today. Abandoned equipment can become irretrievable and released PCBs create a threat to ground and surface waters…more go to Environmental Protection Agency, Unit 10: The Pacific Northwest.
Additional online resources regarding the effects of mining on water supplies:
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