Water Wheel March/April 2010

Abstract

Perceptions Most of the reports and papers published on the WCA over the last 20 years refer to “widespread uranium pollution” , areas which are “highly polluted with radioactive uranium” , and similar emotive phrases, and this is perceived to be caused by tailings dams in particular and the irresponsible actions of the mining industry in general. While I am now retired, and am not directly involved with the WCA, for many years I was involved in related activities in the Klerksdorp area, particularly the Koekemoerspruit. It is common cause that the mining industry has a presence in the WCA, complete with associated legacies such as interconnected mining related voids, and surface features such as tailings dams and waste rock dumps, all unavoidable consequences of mining. The nature and extent of these features is adequately described in the literature. The fact that these features contain pyrite which results in Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) with the associated acidic leachates containing iron, copper, zinc and other metals is also well known.

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