User:Kyra Robertson/Surface mining

Environmental and Health Effects
To properly clean and restore a once operational surface mine requires a large sum of money and extensive remediation plans. Some mining companies do not have the funds to properly clean up therefor the environment is negativity effected. Federal governments have emplace multiple laws and regulations which mining companies have to strictly follow. In the United States, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 mandates reclamation of surface coal mines. Reclamation for non-coal mines is regulated by state and local laws, which may vary widely. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and many more. Even with proper legislations in place for surface mining there are still human health and environmental impacts which occur and have negative implications.

Human health
Health studies have been conducted on humans that work or live near surface mines and have found many negative health effects. One particular effect on a humans health is particulate matter, such as particles of dust, metals, acid, and soil suspended in the air can be inhaled and lead to serious repercussions. Once inhaled, they may decrease lung function, lung capacity, cardiovascular desires may arise and worse case, cancer. Large exposed surface areas like strip, open-pit, mountaintop removal and highwall mines contribute to extensive air pollution and suspended particulate matter. Miners that work in surface mines are at high direct risk for health complications, whereas local communities experience different effects. People who live near a surface mine can experience health effects such as cardiovascular problems, water contamination where metals or acid leach into the groundwater and contaminate agriculture. Western Virginia has large surface mining productions such as mountaintop removal, which can lead to the contamination of groundwater quality and quantity, which interns affects the communities at the base of the Appalachian mountains.

Federal governments like Canada have specific legislation to keep the miners, communities and the environment safe. The Environmental Code of Practice for Metal Mines (ECPMM), Metal Mining Effluent Regulations (MMER), Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, and many other laws and legislation have been implemented to help protect the health of the people.

Environmental impact
Surface mining can have both a negative and positive effect on the local environment. The negative effects can be extremely destructive in soil quality, water contamination, air and noise pollution, landscape alteration and many other negatives. The flip side is the positive ramification, with new technology, it has become easier to properly treat the local water supply and restore the local ecology, which helps rebuild the environment.

Each type of surface mining has its environmental impact, which is laid out bellow.

Strip mining - once operations have ended, the tailings are placed back into the hole and covered up to make the site resemble the landscape before the mining operation. Topsoil may be placed over the tailing along with planting trees and other vegetation. Another method is filling in the hole with water to create an artificial lake. Large tailing piles left behind may contain heavy metals which can leach out acids such as lead and copper and enter into water systems.

Open-pit mining - one of the world's largest types of mine and the size of these operations leave behind massive landscape scars, destruction to environmental habitats, and substantial clean-up cost. An open-pit mine can yield an enormous quantity of waste rock, sinkholes can form down the road, flooding and similar negative impacts as strip mining.

Mountaintop removal mining - is very destructive, the removal of whole mountaintops leaves the landscape permanently altered. The waste rock is left on the surrounding land, filling rivers, valleys and physically changing the landscape and affecting ecosystems. Throughout the Appalachians in states such as Kentucky and Virginia, mountaintop removal is a common mining method where whole forests are cleared and the area becomes vulnerable to possible landslides and restoration is sometimes to difficult.

Dredging - is another form of surface mining where the environmental impacts are primarily found underwater. The method of extracting material from the seafloor or any water body leads to the harmful risk of marine life. Overall, the effect are far less compared to the other mining methods. The influx of sediment can burry flora and fauna, change water levels and can alter the oxygen content. Water and noise pollution is a concern that must be monitored because marine life is very sensitive and vulnerable to drastic and harmful changes within their ecosystem.

Highwall mining - has a lower environmental impact than mountaintop removal because of the smaller external surface area present but there is still negative side effects. Air and noise pollution from blasting are common environmental effects along with the large tailing piles, which can lech into water ways and numerous ecosystems.