The Impact of the Gold Mining Industry on the Water Quality of The
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COPYRIGHT AND CITATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR THIS THESIS/ DISSERTATION o Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. o NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. o ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. How to cite this thesis Surname, Initial(s). (2012) Title of the thesis or dissertation. PhD. (Chemistry)/ M.Sc. (Physics)/ M.A. (Philosophy)/M.Com. (Finance) etc. [Unpublished]: University of Johannesburg. Retrieved from: https://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za (Accessed: Date). IAAI() HALA, The Impact ofthe Gold Mining Industry on the Water Quality of the Kromdraai Catchment· by JOeL D. MALAN MINI-DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT in the FACULTY OF SCIENCE at the RAND AFRIKAANS UNIVERSITY SUPERVISOR: DR. P.J. WOLFAARDT SEPTEMBER 2002 11 LIST OF CONTENTS OPSOMMING , IV SUMMARY VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Vlll CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 2 1.1 Project motivation for this study 4 r.a Purpose and objective ofthis study 5 1.3 Study Area 6 CHAPTER 2: NATURAL CATCHMENT CHARACTERISTICS 9 2.1 INTRODUCTION 9 2.1.1 General Description and relief 9 2.1.2 Geology and soils 10 2.1.3 Climate 11 2.1.4 Natural Vegetation 11 2.1.5 Hydrology 12 2.2 GENERAL IMPACTS ON WATER QUALITY 12 2.2.1 Geohydrology 13 2.2.2 The History of the quality of the dolomitic water in the 14 Far West Rand with special reference to the formation ofsinkholes 2.2.3 Water Cycle of a dolomitic Compartment 16 2.2.4 Effect ofDolomitic Water on Mining 19 2.2.5 Different issues associated with the I-m pipeline 22 2.3 Identification ofManagement Units 24 2.4 Conclusion 28 III CHAPTER 3: QUALITY STATUS OF SURFACE WATER 30 3.1 Introduction 30 3.2 Pollution sources in the Kromdraai catchment 31 3.3 Analysis ofthe water quality data 33 3.3.1 Turffontein Eye 35 3.3.2 Wonderfonteinspruit at Gemsbokfontein (Beginning of 44 1-m pipeline) (C2H025) 3.3.3 Wonderfonteinspruit at Exit of 1-m pipeline (C2H080) 46 3.3.4 Driefontein Transverse Canal at Rooipoort (C2H063) 47 3.3.5 Wonderfonteinspruit at Abe Baily (C2H175) . 49 3.3.6 Doornfontein Canal at Blaaubank (C2H060) 50 3.3.7 Mooi River at Blaaubank (C2H069) 52 3.3.8 Mooi River at Kromdraai (C2H085) 53 3.4 Conclusion 55 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 58 4.1 Conclusions 58 4.2 Recommendations 59 REFERENCES 65 APPENDIX 1 70 APPENDIX 2 72 iv OPSOMMING Een van die hoofdoelwitte van die Nasionale Waterwet (Wet 36 van 1998) is om die natuurlike hulpbronne (veral water) te beskerm en teen besoedeling en misbruik te bewaar. Die waterbronne moet beskerm word vir die gebruik deur huidige en toekomstige geslagte, met ander woorde die volhoubare gebruik van water. In hierdie studie is gekonsentreer op die Kromdraai-opvangsgebied wat die Bo-Wonderfonteinspruit, Onder-Wonderfonteinspruit, Loop spruit en Mooirivier insluit. Hierdie gebied word veral gekenmerk deur 'n groot aantal goudmyne wat 'n negatiewe invloed op die water kwaliteit van die gebied kan uitoefen. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die invloed van goudmyne op die kwaliteit van waterbronne in die Kromdraai-opvangsgebied te ondersoek. Groot hoeveelhede waterkwaliteitsdata is versamel vanaf sekere moniteringspunte in die onderskeie sub-opvangsgebiede. Hierdie data is verwerk en sekere tendense is grafies voorgestel. Die sulfaat konsentrasies, totale opge1oste soute en die elektriese geleidingsvermoe van die onderskeie watermonsters is bepaal om die besoedelingvlakke te bepaal. Om tyd en kostes te bespaar is daar egter besluit om slegs op die elektriese geleidingsverrnoe van die watermonsters te konsentreer, omrede dit 'n goeie aanduiding is van die besoedelingsvlakke in die spesifieke monster. Tendense is bepaal en gevolgtrekkings is gemaak om die invloed van die goudmyne op die waterkwaliteit te bepaal. 'n Duidelike invloed van 'n slikdam op die Turffontein Oog is waargeneem toe die elektriese geleidingsvermoe daarvan skerp gestyg v het, terwyl Doornfontein goudmyn groot hoeveelhede slik op die. slikdam gestort het. Die elektriese geleidingsverrnoe van die Turffontein oog het weer begin daal nadat die storting van groot hoeveelhede slik gestaak is. Die gevolgtrekking van die studie is, dat goudmyne wel In negatiewe invloed op die kwaliteit van die waterbronne in die Kromdraai opvangsgebied het. Hierdie negatiewe invloed kan slegs deur effektiewe geintegreerde omgewingsbestuur beheer en verminder word. Die toegang tot alle data deur alle belanghebbende partye is van kritieke belang, omrede die meeste aangrensende goudmyne mekaar direk impakteer deur die onttrekking en vrylating van groot hoeveelhede ondergrondse water. Opvangsgebiedforums is gestig om alle belanghebbende partye te betrek wat In belang het by die geintegreerde omgewingsbestuur van die Kromdraai opvangsgebied. Die forums dien ook as voorlopers vir die opvanggebiedbestuursagentskap wat in die Bo-Vaal Water bestuurgebied gestig gaan word. vi SUMMARY One of the main objectives of the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) is the protection of natural resources (water resources) against pollution and misuse. These resources must be protected for the sustainable use by future and present generations. The study area consisted of the Kromdraai Catchment which included the Upper Wonderfonteinspruit, Lower Wonderfonteinspruit, Loop spruit and the Mooi River. This area is known for the amount of gold mining activities which may have a negative influence on the " environment and especially on water. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of the gold mining industry may have on the water quality of the Kromdraai Catchment. Huge volumes of water quality data were collected from certain major monitoring stations throughout the Kromdraai catchment. A good indicator of pollution in a water sample is the electrical conductivity (Ee) of the sample. EC values were used to determine the pollution in each of the water samples because it saves time and costs. Pollution trends were established and conclusions were drawn to determine the impact of the gold mines on the water quality. A clear impact of a tailings dam on the water quality of the Turffontein Oog was established by the sharp increase in the EC values since the Doornfontein Gold Mine started depositing huge volumes of slime on the no. 3 tailing dam. The EC values of the Turffontein Oog have started to decline when the depositing of the slime was ceased. :. The conclusion of the study is that the gold mining industry has a definite negative impact on the water quality of the water resources in vii the Kromdraai catchment. The only effective way to mitigate and, manage these negative impacts, is through integrated environmental management. The sharing of data by all interested and affected parties is of critical importance, since most neighbouring goldmines are directly impacting on each other through the pumping and discharging of huge volumes of mine water. Catchment forums were established for the integrated environmental management of the Kromdraai catchment by all interested and affected parties. These forums have become important bodies representing stakeholders in the establishment of catchment management authority (CMA) that Will be established in the Upper Vaal Water Management Area. viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank the following persons and institutions for their contributions towards this study: • My wife Linda, for her unselfish support and patience; • Dr. Leslie Stoch for his help with the interpretation of the graphs and for his motivation and interest in the study; • Dr. Peets Wolfaardt for his help and patience with this study; • The Department of Water affairs and Forestry for financial support and for the use of the water quality data; • Heidi Munien for the GIS work and the printing of the maps; • My Heavenly Father who gave me the strength to finish what I've started. 1 There is water within us, let there be water with us. Water never rests. When flowing above, it causes rain and dew. Whenflowing below itforms streams and rivers. Ifa way is madefor it, itflows along that path. And we want to make that path. We want the water of this country to flow out into a network - reaching every individual saying: here is water for you. Take it; cherish it as affirming your human dignity; nourish your humanity. Water - gathered and stored since the beginning oftime in layers ofgranite and rock, in the embrace ofdams, the ribbons ofrivers - will one day, unheralded, modesty, easily, simply flow out to every South African who turns a tap. That is my dream (Krog, 1997). 2 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION In a speech to the National Assembly on the second reading of the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998)(DWAF, 1998a) on Tuesday 9 June 1998, Prof. Kader Asmal, Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, said: " Water as a resource is fundamental to our economic lives; it sustains our . agriculture, drives the turbines of our power points, cools and cleans the mines, heats our offices, catalyses the process of our manufacturing industry; washes down our taverns. And it will continue to do this. Our water policy says that our aim in managing water is not just to ensure equitable access to the resource, not a crude dividing up of so many buckets per person. Our aim is to extract and exact the maximum benefit to society from its use. We are charged together, to make wonderful music with the instruments our water allows us (Asmal, 1998).» The natural resources of a country determine to a large extent the activities of its population.