Effectiveness of mine rehabilitation in relation to water quality

When mining is completed the sites may be completely restored to the original ecosystem, rehabilitated for some desirable environmental characteristics, desirable alternative ecosystems created or just neglected. The strategy adopted will depend on the intended uses of the parts of the environment (including water) affected by the mining. An example of rehabilitation of a metal mine near the Australian Federal Capital is used to illustrate the problems that may be encountered. These include: lack of controls while mining is underway; catastrophic events, such as the collapse of a settling dam, lack of site specific understanding of pyrite oxidation processes, particularly those that are biologically enhanced; the need for adequate biological information on which to base decisions to meet biological information on which to base decisions to meet biological objectives. Experience has shown that biological collections such studies should be stored in museums where they will be valuable for comparisons of changes over long periods.