BIOL-1106-001 W-2020 Assignment 2: Mining Groundwater Pollution

This assignment delves into the critical issue of groundwater pollution stemming from mining practices in Canada. It begins by outlining the major environmental impacts, emphasizing the contamination of freshwater resources and the discharge of effluents. The analysis then identifies the regions most affected, highlighting Manitoba's vulnerability due to its mining activities, specifically the extraction of nickel, cobalt, and gold, which contribute to acid mine drainage and heavy metal pollution. The assignment further explores the challenges in making mining more sustainable, acknowledging the environmental risks associated with various processes like sedimentation and water body disturbances. Despite improvements, the assignment questions the commitment of miners to environmental protection and the economic importance of mining to Canada. Finally, the assignment examines the efforts towards sustainability, including the "Canada Brand" initiative, and explores alternative mining methods to reduce pollution and protect the environment, aligning with the e3 Plus agreement for environmental excellence.

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Groundwater pollution from mining
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24th March 2020

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Groundwater pollution from mining
Question one: What is the major effect of this practice or situation on Canada’s environment?
Mining is the process of extracting minerals from the earth’s crust. The process can lead
to pollution and other forms of negative effects on the environment. Ground water pollution from
mining is one thing that is common in roughly all places that have extensive mining activities.
Water is an essential commodity to the life on the plant. All sustainable development plans have
water as a prerequisite. Ensuring that we have uncontaminated water bodies such as oceans and
stream is essential to the sustainability efforts. The fresh water condition in Canada is causing
alarming to the public. Fresh water is heavily affected from mining as water is normally used in
the processing of minerals such as ore. Pollution from the discharged effluents is another key
area to consider (Haalboom, 2016). The effluents may also seep through tailings and through
waste rock impoundments. Human activities which include mining have continuously undermine
the ability of the plant to sustain itself. The water sources that we normally depend on are under
threat of being heavily polluted due to our activities. Water is the most common casualty of
mining as it is often polluted. The environmental impacts of mining activities have led to
growing concerns especially in cases that the mining activities have not considered the
environment. Due to our daily usage of minerals, we have sometimes had to pay huge prices.
Mining in Canada has been diverting, consuming and polluting water sources.
Question two: Which part(s) of the country are most affected? Does this directly affect Manitoba
in any way?
Mining in Canada is now more mechanized and allows more rock to be handled as
opposed to the past. Mining is done across whole country. We now have big machines that
excavate more than before to clear the environment and create large waste spaces. Hence, mine

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was has been multiplying enormously. As the technology used in mining continues developing,
there is going to be more waste generation in the near future. People excavate more to earn more
profits from low grade iron ore (Earle, et.al, 2018). The negative impacts of these actions are
great water pollution of underground water sources among other negative environmental impact.
For example, every tonne of copper releases 99 tonnes of waste materials to the environment.
The mineral ministry in Canada generates millions of tonnes of waste rocks and close to a
million tone of tailings on a daily basis. The waste produced is about 650 million tonnes every
year in Canada. The waste is normally stored above the ground after the removal from the
earth’s crust. The storage of these waste products leads to water pollution from runoff and other
processes of precipitation. The Manitoba is affected directly by the mining activities in Canada.
The region is famed for the extraction of nickel, cobalt and gold. Gold extraction releases great
wastes to the environment. Up to 3 tonnes of waste is produced for a wedding band of Gold. This
is because Gold is a rare metal and only fund in small quantities. Acid mine drainage, and heavy
metal pollution are the main water pollution witnessed from Gold and cobalt extraction in
Manitoba.
Question three: What are some major challenges to making these practices more sustainable or
stopping them all together?
Despite the improvements in the recent years in mining, there are still significant
environmental risks due to mining. The negative impacts of mining vary from various processes
such as sedimentation due to poorly-built transport systems during mineral explorations. During
the construction of mines, there has been disturbance of the water bodies. Water pollution
resulting from mine waste rock and other activities such as tailings have caused serious
problems. The management of the water pollution may require decades to overcome. Most of

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these forms of pollution effects are normally felt after the closure of the mines. The
environmental impacts normally depends on several factors which include technology, skills, and
the knowledge used (Zvarivadza, 2018). The local terrain near a mine can also be an issue due to
the amount of damage that is done on the earth’s crust. The environmental commitment of the
miners is a major issue on pollution. If the miners are concerned about the environment they will
always put measures to conserve the environment. On the other hand, miners who are not
committed to protecting the environment would completely ignore the negative impacts of their
actions. It is nearly impractical to stop mining in Canada as the country greatly needs mining.
The contribution of minerals to the Canadian economy is significant.
Question four: Have these practices been altered to make them more sustainable? If not, what is
a more sustainable alternative to the current practice in Canada?
Sustainability calls have been on the forefront following the negative environmental
impacts of mining in Canada. The leadership of the country’s mineral industry is centered on
sustainability and resource governance. The “Canada Brand” has been established to ensure that
the industry relies on social responsibility, innovation and access to clean technology. An
unparalleled access to capital in Canada allows the mining industry in the country to thrive. The
brand is essential to the industry as it forms a part of the corporate social responsibility (CSR).
The companies have also shown tendencies to conserve the environment while going on with
their activities. The commitment towards environmental sustainability is meant to strengthen the
operations of the mining industry in Canada and reduce pollution (Dehnavi, et.al, 2018).
Underground water pollution in Canada has been verified as an environmental problem that may
threaten the future of the planet. Hence, solving the problems through better mining methods will
ensure that we do not run into problems in the future. The policies of mining in Canada are

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anchored on the e3 Plus agreement whereby the industry must delve in the Excellence in the
Environmental Exploration. It is also evident that the cleanup of the wastes produce by mining
may take between decades and centuries. To counter the longevity of these negative effects, the
industry has been built in the “Canada Brand.”

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References
Dehnavi, A. S., McFarlane, C. R., Lentz, D. R., & Walker, J. A. (2018). Assessment of pyrite
composition by LA-ICP-MS techniques from massive sulfide deposits of the Bathurst
Mining Camp, Canada: From textural and chemical evolution to its application as a
vectoring tool for the exploration of VMS deposits. Ore Geology Reviews, 92, 656-671.
Earle, A. R., Redmann, R. E., Crowder, A. A., Ariano, T. C., Corrigan, C. A., Farmer, R. J., ... &
Jackson, L. M. (2018). Iron Ore. In Environmental Effects of Mining (pp. 225-233).
Routledge.
Haalboom, B. (2016). Pursuing openings and navigating closures for aboriginal knowledges in
environmental governance of uranium mining, Saskatchewan, Canada. The Extractive
Industries and Society, 3(4), 1010-1017.
Zvarivadza, T. (2018). Artisanal and small-scale mining as a challenge and possible contributor
to sustainable development. Resources Policy, 56, 49-58.