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Sustainable Groundwater Resource Management in Estonian Oil Shale Deposit

Helena LindJüri R. PastarusTallinn University of Technology, Department of Mining

Kalmer Sokman and Erik VäliEstonian Oil Shale Mining Company (Eesti Põlevkivi)

Riho Iskül Kunda Nordic Cement Company

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Content of the presentation

• Sustainability• Is the groundwater resources

management sustainable?• Problems and impacts of oil shale mining• Environmental taxes • Are we sustainable?• Can we be more sustainable?• Conclusion

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Sustainability

• Water quality, resource and environmental diversity remains while groundwater is used

• We predict the impacts in advance and use the best possible technological solutions

• Long term development

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Impacts of the oil shale mining

• The main impact to the environment during mining and after mining:• change of water regime: decreasing &

increasing waterlevel• change of groundwater chemical

components

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Hydrogeological and mining conditions

• Mines next to closed and water filled areas• Oil shale outcrop area

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Dewatering: pumping stations

Dr.sht.4Dr.sht.1-2

Dr.sht.11 Dr.sht.14,15

Dr.sht.13

Dr.sht.8-9

Dr.sht.12

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Dr.sht.5

Dr.sht.10,12

Dr.sht.6

Dr.sht.11

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Dr.sht.3

Dr.sht.16

Dr.sht.22

Dr.sht.5

Dr.sht.21

Dr.sht.13

Dr.sht.10

Dr.sht.14

Dr.sht.9

Dr.sht.7

Dr.sht.4

Dr.sht.8Dr.sht.13

Dr.sht.8

Dr.sht.24

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Dr.sht.2

Dr.sht.11

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Dr.sht.9

Dr.sht.12

Dr.sht.17-bis

Dr.sht.16

Dr.sht.16-bis

Dr.sht.20

Dr.sht.15

Dr.sht.7Dr.sht.18-19

Dr.sht.7

Dr.sht.3

Alajõe

Avinurme

Iisaku

Illuka

Jõhvi

JÕHVIKIVIÕLI

KohtlaKohtla-Järve

Kohtla-Nõmme

Lüganuse

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NARVA-JÕESUU

PÜSSI

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Sonda

Toila

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Vaivara

Vinni

15 56215 56215 56215 56215 56215 56215 56215 56215 562

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15 85015 85015 85015 85015 85015 85015 85015 85015 850

12 28812 28812 28812 28812 28812 28812 28812 28812 288 15 73215 73215 73215 73215 73215 73215 73215 73215 732

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15 90315 90315 90315 90315 90315 90315 90315 90315 903

16 01816 01816 01816 01816 01816 01816 01816 01816 018

12 28812 28812 28812 28812 28812 28812 28812 28812 288 15 73215 73215 73215 73215 73215 73215 73215 73215 732

A-I-1A-I-1A-I-1A-I-1A-I-1A-I-1A-I-1A-I-1A-I-1

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A-III-5A-III-5A-III-5A-III-5A-III-5A-III-5A-III-5A-III-5A-III-5

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NR 1C

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NR 8NR 9NR 10NR 11

NR 12

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NR 13B

NR 1A

NR 6

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Dewatering: pumping rate

Pumping rate at 2006 was 155 million m3

Precipitations 555 mm

Data: Estonian Oil Shale Company

Dewatering at Oil Shale mining Company 2002 - 2006

5663

76 76

61

4852

69

59

4339

5362

53

37

1419 21

17 15

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Year

Pu

mp

ing

rat

e,

mil

lio

n m

3

0.010.020.030.040.050.060.070.080.090.0100.0

Pre

cip

itat

ion

s, c

m

ESTONIA NARVA AIDU VIRU Precipitations, cm

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Dewatering: pumping rate per produced tonnage

Data: Estonian Oil Shale Company

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Oil Shaleproduction,million T

Pumped waterper tonnage ofOilShaleproduction, m3/T

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Pumped mine water

Analyse of 2006: • 50-90% precipitations• Recirculating water – water from

closed mines• Groundwater

Methodology of analyse: Reinsalu, E (2005). Changes in mine dewatering after the closure of exhausted oil shale mines. Oil Shale, 22(3), 261 - 273

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Changes in watertable

• Water level decreases

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Water quality: microcomponents of water in mine

Indicator UnitWater in mine, 2004

Water in mine, 2006

Normatives of mineral water

Normatives of drinking water

Soodla water reservoir

pH   7,1 7,44   6,5-9,5 8

NH4+ mg/l 0,017 0,26   <0,5 0,005

NO2- mg/l 0,015 0,01   <0,5 0,003

NO3- mg/l 11,7 6,41 50 50 0,76

Cl- mg/l 16,4 32,69 200 < 250  

SO42- mg/l 342,4 36,1 200 < 250 31,1

Ca2+ mg/l 174,5 124,8 150 - 53

Mg2+ mg/l 51,6 40,9 50 - 5

Total Fe mg/l 0,69 0,48 1 < 0,2 (1,0) 0,27

Oil products mg/l 0,15 0,063   0.05

Total phenols  mg/m3 <0,001 <0,003   < 0,0005

Data: Reinsalu, E; Valgma, I; Lind, H; Sokman, K (2006). Technogenic water body closed oil shale mines. Oil Shale, 23(1), 15 - 28.

Estonian Oil Shale Company

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Legislation

• Environmental taxes are increasing every year:

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2008*

Year* new draft regulation of environmental taxes

mill

ion

kro

on

s

Water contamination

Drinking water andundergroundmine/open pit waterWaste dumping

Air pollution

Oil Shale(production+losses)

Data: Estonian Oil Shale Company

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Environmental taxes and sustainability

• Increasing environmental taxes has incentive effect:

• use new mining methods and technology,• new environment protective technologies (infiltration

dams)• to pump out less groundwater• to clean the water• To be more effective, decrease losses

-> to decrease usage of nature resources-> to decrease influence on environment

and society (nearby living people)

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Resources management

• To understanding the behaviour of a groundwater system and its interaction with the environment is nessesary to have a sustainable management plan

• Mathematical models supported by field information have a key role in assessing the future behaviour of a system to find effective operating conditions for sustainable development and management groundwater resources.

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Groundwater modelling

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Are we sustainable?

• Watertable recovers within 2 to 5 years after the pumping has stopped,

• The quality of waterfilled underground mine is close to natural groundwater limits within 5 years

Data: Reinsalu, E; Valgma, I; Lind, H; Sokman, K (2006). Technogenic water body closed oil shale mines. Oil Shale, 23(1), 15 - 28.

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Where can we be more efficient, sustainable?

• There can be techncal solutions to avoid water income – infiltration dams, permeable walls

• Clean the water to reach the drinking water quality

• Computational mathematical models can be used to allocate the technical and environmental constraints

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Where can we be more efficient, sustainable?

But,

->There is always question of money, what is more pofitable?

is it cheaper to pump the water and pay the taxes or

use new innovative solutions?

16-09-2007 TUT Mining Department mi.ttu.ee

Conclusion

• Increasing taxes has affect to develop new innovative technologies • to mine the maximum possible resources with

less losses,• in the same time avoiding expansive impact to

the environment

• There can be used technological solutions to be more effective, environmentally friendly, sustainable

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Thank You for attention!