HYDROLOGY

AND WATER
PROBLEMS IN MINING
Water is usually present in the ground at some depth below the surface.
Generally the sands and gravels lying over the bedrock contain most of the
water. It is not uncommon, however, for the ores and surrounding rocks to be
faulted, broken and fractured, with water filling these void spaces. Water then
flows into the workings, and it must be pumped from the mine. Some mine dont
have much water so handling and pumping is of minor consequence.

The movement of water in the underground environment depends on the

permeability of the soil or rock. Permeability is the extent to which the voids in
the rock or soil are connected to allow the flow of water. The drawdown of the
water surface pertaining to a mine shaft is shown in A. The configuration shown
is for rock with relatively low permeability because the drawdown curve is steep.
If the rock was more permeable, the curve would be much shallower, and greater
amounts of water would have to be pumped to keep the mine dry. Ground water
tends to be recharged from rain and snow making pumping in a mine with a
shallow water-table a continual problem.

DRAWDOWN ZONE
As the mine is extended, the drawdown zone increases in area, as shown in
B. Some mines collect the water as near the surface as possible and pump it out
of the mine. This reduces pumping cost because not all of the water will flow to
the bottom levels of the mine. Due to the large draw down zone in an operating
mine more water will have to be pumped during wet seasons because the
grounds absorbs and tends to collect the excess moisture.

WATER SEALING
Sometimes the permeability is so great in underground layers (aquifers)
that it is necessary to seal of the area around the mine to diminish the flow of
water. Special type of cement, bentonite and other types of materials are used to
seal the permeable zones. Holes are drilled into the permeable zone, and the

water sealing material is pumped through the hole under pressure into the voids
of the aquifer.
When water is encountered underground, it must be collected and directed
toward the mine pumping plant. In wet mines it is common to carry a ditch in the
level headings, as shown in C. the water is usually muddy and carries suspended
solids. Often the suspended solids settle out in the ditches, filling them up and
causing the water to flow over the ties and tracks. Cleaning the ditches is
laborious, but if they arent the water at the tie and rail level will wash out the
road bed as trains run over the track, resulting in bad track and derailments.

SUMPS
Sumps are commonly installed in mines with the sediment problem just
mentioned. A sump, as shown in D, is and underground pond where the
suspended material can settle out in the quiet water. Eventually the sump must
also be cleaned out, but it is much easier to keep the ditches cleaned and road
bed maintained when they are used. Sumps are generally used in connection
with a pumping plant so that larger solid particles will not enter the sump.

MINE PUMPS
Two system of installing mine pumps are shown in E, and F. Centrifugal
pumps, the ones most commonly used to dewater mines, must be kept primed
when starting or they will not pump. In the suction type shown in E it is
necessary to have a foot valve on the intake side so the water does not drain
from the pump. Sometimes this valve does not seat properly, and the water will
drain from the pump making it difficult to start. Other mines use the head type
shown in F. The pump is always supplied with water because it is lower than the
water surface.