Lund MA, Blanchette ML · 2023 · WIREs Water 10(4):e1648
Mine pit lakes are formed when open-cut pits flood with water, and these lakes occur by the thousands on every inhabited continent. The remediation and closure of pit lakes is a pressing…
Mine pit lakes are formed when open-cut pits flood with water, and these lakes occur by the thousands on every inhabited continent. The remediation and closure of pit lakes is a pressing issue for sustainable development and provision of freshwater ecosystem services. While pit lakes can be spectacular examples of recreation and renewal, pit lakes may be better known for their poor water qualities and risks to communities and the environment. Often the public wants to simply “fill the pits in” to restore a terrestrial landscape, but this is not always possible. Therefore, planning for remediation and future uses is likely to provide the best outcome. Poor water quality is not necessarily a barrier to future use, although it may limit the number of uses. Short-term future uses tend to require commercial viability, active infrastructure investment, and maintenance, and should transition to complementary long-term uses that promote biodiversity. Long-term future uses require relatively less ongoing maintenance beyond the initial investment and adhere to the principles that pit lakes should be safe, sustainable, and non-polluting in perpetuity. Pit lakes will eventually develop “ecosystem values,” and the time to do so depends on the nature of the intervention and the values ascribed by the community. Where possible, closing pit lakes as sustainable ecosystems is the most realistic goal that permits a variety of future uses that is likely to see pit lakes valued by future generations.
Lund, M.A., van Etten, E., Polifka, J., Quintero Vasquez, M., Ramessur, R., Yangzom, D. and Blanchette, M.L. · 2020 · Mine Water and Environment 39, 572-588
Lund, M.; Blanchette, M.; and Harkin, C. · 2018 · In: Wolkersdorfer, Ch.; Sartz, L.; Weber, A.; Burgess, J. & Tremblay, G.: Proceedings of the 11th ICARD & IMWA Annual Conference Mine Water – Risk to Opportunity (Vol I). – p. 34 – 41; Pretoria, South Africa (Tshwane University of Technology).
Blanchette, M.; and Lund, M. · 2017 · In: Wolkersdorfer, C.; Sartz, L.; Sillanpää, M. & Häkkinen, A.: Mine Water & Circular Economy (Vol I). – p. 437 – 444; Lappeenranta, Finland (Lappeenranta University of Technology).
Green, R.; Mather, C.; Kleiber, C., Lee, S., Lund, M. and Blanchette, M. · 2017 · In: Bell, L.C.; Edraki, M. and Gerbo, C.: Proceedings of the Ninth Australian Workshop on Acid and Metalliferous Drainage – p. 434 – 441; Burnie, Tasmania (University of Queensland).
Lund, M.; Blanchette, M.; and Gonzalez Pinto, J. · 2017 · In: Wolkersdorfer, C.; Sartz, L.; Sillanpää, M. & Häkkinen, A.: Mine Water & Circular Economy (Vol II). – p. 1204 – 1205; Lappeenranta, Finland (Lappeenranta University of Technology).
Microcosm experiments are frequent precursors to field trials for the treatment of acidic pit lakes using organic matter. We conducted field and microcosm experiments to test the effectiveness of hay to remediate…
Microcosm experiments are frequent precursors to field trials for the treatment of acidic pit lakes using organic matter. We conducted field and microcosm experiments to test the effectiveness of hay to remediate two small, shallow acidic pit lakes. ‘West’ Lake was treated with 19 t of hay and ‘East’ Lake was untreated. Microcosms mimicked key lake trends in water quality, increasing pH and reducing metal concentrations to a greater extent and faster than the field trial. However, microcosms are not tiny pit lakes because they provide an overly optimistic picture of remediation efficacy.
Datry, T., A. Foulquier, R. Corti, D. von Schiller, K. Tockner, C. Mendoza-Lera, J. C. Clément, M. O. Gessner, M. Moleón, R. Stubbington, B. Gücker, R. Albariño, D. C. Allen, F. Altermatt, M. I. Arce, S. Arnon, D. Banas, A. Banegas-Medina, E. Beller, M. L. Blanchette, J. F. Blanco-Libreros, J. J. Blessing, I. G. Boëchat, K. S. Boersma, M. T. Bogan, N. Bonada, N. R. Bond, K. C. Brintrup Barría, A. Bruder, R. M. Burrows, T. Cancellario, C. Canhoto, S. M. Carlson, S. Cauvy-Fraunié, N. Cid, M. Danger, B. de Freitas Terra, A. M. De Girolamo, E. de La Barra, R. del Campo, V. D. Diaz-Villanueva, F. Dyer, A. Elosegi, E. Faye, C. Febria, B. Four, S. Gafny, S. D. Ghate, R. Gómez, L. Gómez-Gener, M. A. S. Graça, S. Guareschi, F. Hoppeler, J. L. Hwan, J. I. Jones, S. Kubheka, A. Laini, S. D. Langhans, C. Leigh, C. J. Little, S. Lorenz, J. C. Marshall, E. Martín, A. R. McIntosh, E. I. Meyer, M. Miliša, M. C. Mlambo, M. Morais, N. Moya, P. M. Negus, D. K. Niyogi, A. Papatheodoulou, I. Pardo, P. Pařil, S. U. Pauls, V. Pešić, M. Polášek, C. T. Robinson, P. Rodríguez-Lozano, R. J. Rolls, M. M. Sánchez-Montoya, A. Savić, O. Shumilova, K. R. Sridhar, A. L. Steward, R. Storey, A. Taleb, A. Uzan, R. Vander Vorste, N. J. Waltham, C. Woelfle-Erskine, D. Zak, C. Zarfl & A. Zoppini, · 2016 · Nature Geoscience 11(7):497-503
Blanchette, M.; Lund, M.; Stoney, R.; Short, D.; and Harkin, C. · 2016 · In: Drebenstedt, C. & Paul, M.: IMWA 2016 – Mining Meets Water – Conflicts and Solutions. – p. 586 – 592; Freiberg/Germany (TU Bergakademie Freiberg).
Macdonald, K.; Lund, M.; Blanchette, M. · 2015 · In: Agreeing on solutions for more sustainable mine water management – Proceedings of the 10th ICARD & IMWA Annual Conference. Santiago, Chile (GECAMIN).
McCullough, C. and Blanchette, M.L. · 2014 · In: Australian Freshwater Ecology: Processes and Management (second edition). (Ed A. Boulton, M. Brock, B. Robson, D. Ryder, J. Chambers, & J. Davis). Wiley & Sons, New York. 392pp.
Macdonald, K., Lund, M.A., McCullough, C.D. and Blanchette, M. · 2014 · Proceedings of the International Mine Water Association Conference. Xuzhou, China.
Lund, M.; Blanchette, M. · 2014 · In: Sui, Wanghua; Sun, Yajun & Wang, Changshen: Proceedings of the International Mine Water Association Conference, An Interdisciplinary Response to Mine Water Challenges. – p. 720 – 724; Xuzhou, China (China University of Mining and Technology).
Davis, A.M., Blanchette, M.L., Pusey, B.J., Jardine, T.D. and Pearson, R.G. · 2012 · Freshwater Biology 57 (10), 2156-2172.
Conference Proceeding
Invertebrate assemblages in dry tropical rivers challenges current monitoring programs.
Blanchette, M. L., and R. G. Pearson. · 2010 · James Cook University School of Marine and Tropical Biology research conference. Townsville, Queensland.
Conference Proceeding
Ecological dynamics of rivers in the dry tropics.
Blanchette, M. L., and R. G. Pearson. · 2010 · Annual conference of the Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF), Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage, and the Arts. Cairns, Queensland.
