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Predicting Water Quality Problems at Hardrock Mines -- an EARTHWORKS white paper

A Failure of Science, Oversight, and Good Practice

Alan Septoff, 12/8/2006

View the publication (pdf)

Predictions White Paper Cover

An EARTHWORKS white paper summarizing and analyzing the groundbreaking studies by Ann Maest, PhD, and Jim Kuipers, P.E.:

Comparison of Predicted and Actual Water Quality at Hardrock Mines: the reliability of predictions in Environmental Impact Statements

and

Predicting Water Quality at Hardrock Mines:  Methods and Models, Uncertainties, and State-of-the-Art

Other documents

All mines considered for inclusion in the Comparsion and Methods and Models reports are included in this 2.5MB excel spreadsheet.

Independent reviewers of the two reports, and conferences where the research was presented are listed here.

The press release associated with the publication of the reports.

 

Community Voices

Rosia Montana, Romania

"It is time for Romania to refuse projects, which whilst being promoted to greatly contribute to development, in effect will have disastrous impacts on all sectors truly important to life."

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Behind Gold's Glitter: Torn Lands and Pointed Questions

There has always been an element of madness to gold's allure.

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At the Idaho-Maryland Mine, up to four tons of ore would have to be processed to produce one ounce of gold. But the steps taken to scrape together that ounce pose what scientists call two of the mining industry's biggest environmental risks: cyanide contamination and acid mine drainage.

A High Regard for the Earth

David Maisel's Aerial Photos Re-Survey the Boundaries Between Ugly and Beautiful