ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Water balance management is a critical component of both environmental management at active mines and environmental remediation of closed or abandoned mines. Failures in mine water management have led to environmental impacts across the globe ranging from relatively local impacts caused by short-term uncontrolled discharges to major environmental catastrophes such as a January 30, 2000 release at Baia Mare, Romania, which affected aquatic life in the river Tisza for hundreds of kilometers. Managing the water balance at a large-scale mine is generally not problematic under average conditions. Water inflows and outflows are measured (or estimated) and a mass continuity expression is developed to describe inflows, outflows, and resulting changes in storage. Water balance problems and associated uncontrolled releases are commonly triggered by uncommon climatic conditions.
