SGP-RUDA LLC, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

A. M. Bulaeva, Group Leader, gulgina10@mail.ru
A. A. Dunyushin, Leading Engineer

Studying changes in hydrogeological conditions in the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly (KMA) area in connection with the development of iron ore deposits is an important and urgent task, also due to changes in the regulatory framework governing environmental protection measures. Extensive ore deposits are developed both by open and underground methods, which has a significant impact on hydrodynamics of groundwater flows. The more than 70-year history of groundwater exploitation has left its mark: water inflows have increased tens and hundreds of times during mining, and quarry drainage systems include both external and internal drainage circuits. The study described in this article was conducted using a numerical geoflow model performed using MODFLOW software package, covers the Korobkovo, Lebedinsky and Stoilensky ore fields, including tailings ponds and water intakes. In the hydrogeological section of the test area, two levels are distinguished: the upper level, associated with the Meso-Cenozoic deposits, and the lower level, confined to the Archaean–Proterozoic crystalline basement. It is the upper level that plays a main role in water inflow in mine openings. The analysis shows that construction and operation of mines lead to the violation of hydrodynamics of groundwater, while tailing ponds, despite their long-term operation, function together with quarries as closed water-balance systems, exerting, in fact, a purifying effect on water being discharged. However, the need to build new tailings dams, taking into account new regulatory requirements, put the question of choosing between protection of aquifers by waterproofing and the potential development of a depression funnel in the event of breakdown of the existing closed system. The simulation results demonstrate that water losses from tailings ponds partially replenish groundwater reserves—a closed water-balance cycle has formed in the area, where pumped water returns to aquifers, which leads to the replacement of natural waters with man-made runoff. The developed geoflow model makes it possible to link the mining layouts of all subsurface users and is a tool for the sustainable development of the mining industry, allowing it to solve complex hydrogeological problems and minimize the negative impact on the environment.

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