Selecting environmental water tracers to understand groundwater around mines: opportunities and limitations

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dc.contributor.authorKurukulasuriya, Den_AU
dc.contributor.authorHowcroft, Wen_AU
dc.contributor.authorMoon, EMen_AU
dc.contributor.authorMeredith, KTen_AU
dc.contributor.authorTimms, Wen_AU
dc.date.accessioned2023-02-09T23:35:03Zen_AU
dc.date.available2023-02-09T23:35:03Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2022-02-07en_AU
dc.date.statistics2022-11-18en_AU
dc.descriptionThis article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.en_AU
dc.description.abstractUnderground mining operations have the potential to alter groundwater systems and facilitate hydraulic connections between surface water and groundwater. The nature and degree of these interactions need to be evaluated to identify mining risks to surrounding water resources and to predict potential operational effects and environmental impacts, such as hydraulic stress on local surface waters. Environmental water tracers (EWTs) are commonly used to study such interactions in mine water and hydrogeological studies. However, the opportunities presented by EWTs could be more widely utilised to benefit the mining industry and the environment. Some of the challenges faced include the lack of practical frameworks, the need for more examples of EWTs applications in mining, and the possibility of complex interpretation of tracer results. This paper reviews previous studies that have applied EWTs in groundwater systems within or near mine sites, mostly from Australia, China, and India. The EWTs used in these studies include water quality parameters, major ions, stable isotopes, radioisotopes, and dissolved gases. The opportunities of applying multiple EWTs to identify water sources, mixing, and determine recharge rates and groundwater residence times are discussed. Limitations of different EWTs in terms of their capabilities, reliability, cost of analysis, effort, and processing times are reviewed. Steps for selecting suitable EWTs for specific mine hydrogeology assessments should be commensurate with the risks. Finally, this paper provides an overview of suitable EWTs that will be a useful contribution to appropriate water resource management decisions around mines. © 2022 The Author(s)en_AU
dc.description.sponsorshipWe gratefully acknowledge support by the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) grant C28024. Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions.en_AU
dc.identifier.citationKurukulasuriya, D., Howcroft, W., Moon, E., Meredith, K., & Timms, W. (2022). Selecting environmental water tracers to understand groundwater around mines: opportunities and limitations. Mine Water and the Environment, 41, 357-369. doi:10.1007/s10230-022-00845-yen_AU
dc.identifier.issn1616-1068en_AU
dc.identifier.journaltitleMine Water and the Environmenten_AU
dc.identifier.pagination357-369en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-022-00845-yen_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/14636en_AU
dc.identifier.volume41en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherSpringer Natureen_AU
dc.subjectTracer techniquesen_AU
dc.subjectSurface watersen_AU
dc.subjectGround wateren_AU
dc.subjectMinesen_AU
dc.subjectAquifersen_AU
dc.subjectIsotopesen_AU
dc.titleSelecting environmental water tracers to understand groundwater around mines: opportunities and limitationsen_AU
dc.typeJournal Articleen_AU
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