ECCE ENVIRONMENT TASK FORCE TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS

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ECCE ENVIRONMENT TASK FORCETECHNICAL
PRESENTATIONS

• Presentation given to the 38th Meeting of
• the
• European Council of Civil Engineers
• in Munich, Germany
• September 2003
• by
• Professor Tahir Celik,
• Cyprus Council of Civil Engineers
• Member of the Environment Task Force

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ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER CAUSED BY MINING WASTES IN
NORTH CYPRUS
PROF. DR. TAHIR ÇELIK CIVIL ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT, NEU- NICOSIA CTAE UNION- CHAMBER OF
CIVIL ENGINEERS CYPRUS COUNCIL OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
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CMC SITE LOCATION

• CMC SITE IS LOCATED IN THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS AND
  COASTAL PLAIN OF THE TROODOS MOUNTAINS IN
  NORTHERN CYPRUS, APPROXIMATELY 40 KM WEST OF
  NICOSIA.
• THE AREA OF CONCERN ENCOMPASSES
• THE FORMER MINING AREA OF THE MAVROVOUNI
  UNDERGROUND MINE AND LEFKA A PIT MINE, ADJACENT
  TO THE TOWN OF LEFKA
• THE FORMER CYPRUS MINING CORPORATION (CMC)
  MINERAL PROCESSING FACILITY AT XEROS
• ENTIRE AREA AFFECTED IS ABOUT 20 KM2

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CMC SITE LOCATION
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CMC SITE AREA
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SATELLITE PICTURE OF THE AREA
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MINING HISTORY OF AREA

• COPPER HAS BEEN MINED IN THE TROODOS
• MOUNTAINS AND IN THE LEFKA AREA FOR MILLENNIA.
• THE MODERN ERA OF MINING WAS INITIATED IN 1913.
• THE CYPRUS MINES CORPORATION WAS FORMED IN
• 1916, AND STARTED PRODUCTION OF PYRITIC COPPER
  ORE SHORTLY AFTER THE END OF WORLD WAR I.
• IN 1930s CMC STARDTED TO EXPLORE GOLD AND SILVER.
  
• A PLANT TO TREAT THE GOLD ORE WAS BUILT AND
  OPENED IN 1933.
• IN THE LATE 1930s, FINE PYRITE CONCENTRATES
• DERIVED FROM ITS COPPER ORE TAILINGS WERE
• PRODUCED.

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MINING HISTORY OF AREA (2)

• IN 1962 CMC STARTED TO PRODUCE ORES BY OPEN-PITS
• PRIOR TO 1970, MINING WASTES FROM THE PROCESSING
  OF MINERAL ORES WERE DISCHARGED DIRECTLY TO THE
  SEA AT XEROS.
• IN ABOUT 1970, PIPES WERE CONSTRUCTED THAT
  CARRIED TAILINGS MATERIAL OUT TO SEA
  APPROXIMATELY 2 KM.
• A PYRITE POND WAS CONSTRUCTED ON A TRIBUTARY TO
  THE XEROS RIVER RECEIVED ACIDIC WATER FROM THE
  PROCESSING FACILITY.
• IN 1974 CMC ABANDONED THE XEROS PLANT AND ALL OF
  ITS MINES.
• SINCE THEN, THE MINING PROCESS AREA, THE OPENPIT
  MINING AREA AND THE PYRITE POND CAUSING
  DETRIMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.

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STREAMS AND WELLS IN THE REGION
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SOURCES OF MINING WASTES

• Copper Tailings Ponds (Ponds 10, 11A, 11B, 11C,
  16, 17, 19, 21)
• Pyrite Tailings Ponds (Ponds 12 15)
• Gold Tailings Up to about 20 meters in height,
  they cover an area of 1.6 to 2 hectares.
• Acid Plant Tailings Immediately east of the gold
  tailings pile, sits a pile of burnt pyrite
  tailings from the acid plant. This pile is
  approximately 6 meters (20 feet) high and
  approximately 0.12 hectares
• Phoenix Tailings Pond (Pyrite pond)
• Lefka A Pit This 16-hectare open pit mine
  operated from 1968 to 1974. It extends to a
  maximum depth of approximately 40 meters.
• Waste Piles Mavrovouni Mine Overlying and
  adjacent to the old Mavrovouni mine are a number
  of piles of waste rock and ore that were left in
  place after 1974.

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CMC AREA AND TAILING PONDS
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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

• IN OPENPIT MINING AREA AND IN REFINARY AREA PILES
  OF WASTES AND IN MANY TAILING PONDS ACID
  DRAINAGE IS TAKING PLACE.
• ACID DRAINAGE SERIOUSLY CONTAMINATES
• SOIL
• AIR
• GROUND WATER
• SEA

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WHAT IS MINING CONTAMINATION?

• after rainfall or snow-melt, surface water run
  off through
• active mine areas
• abandoned mine sites
• mineral processing sites
• oxygen (from air ) and water contact, react with
  minerals causing mineral drainage

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ACID DRAINAGE

• Fe S2 3.5 O2 H2O Fe2 2SO4-2 2H
• (Pyrite)
  (Acidic)
• Cu Fe S2 4.25O2 2.5H2O Cu2 2SO4-2
  Fe(OH)3 2H
• (Calcopyrite)
  
  (Acidic)
• SULPHATE MINERALS (PYRITE AND CALCOPYRITE) HAVE
  REACTION WITH ADDITION OF OXYGEN AND WATER.
• AT THE END OF THIS REACTION THE PRODUCTS ARE
• IRON AND COPPER METALLIC IONS WHICH INCREASE THE
  TOXIC MEDIUM OF ENVIRONMENT
• SULPHATE IONS WHICH AFFTECT THE QUALITY OF WATER
• HYDROGEN IONS WHICH HELP TO INCREASE THE ACIDITY
  OF THE ENVIRONMENT.

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SOIL CONTAMINATION

• SOIL SAMPLES TAKEN IN THE REGION FROM THE SURFACE
  WHICH IS IN CONTACT WITH ATMOSPHERE HAD A PH
  VALUE OF INBETWEEN 2.47-2.84 (VERY ACIDIC)
• SUB-SURFACE PH VALUE IS EXPECTED LOWER
• PH VALUES LESS THAN 2 IS DEFINED AS HAZARDOUS
  SINCE IT CONTAMINATES GROUND WATER.

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TAILING PONDS
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TAILING PONDS NO BOTTOM LINER TO ISOLATE MINING
WASTE FROM GROUNDWATER NO TOP COVER BEING EXPOSED
TO EROSION
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ABANDONED MINING PROCESSESSING AREA
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CMCs Leaching and Classifying Unit circa 1957
and 2001.
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PONDS AND PROCESSING AREA
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TAILING PONDS BY THE SEA
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SOIL DIKE AROUND THE TAILING PONDS
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SOIL DIKE AROUND THE TAILING PONDS
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SOIL DIKE AROUND THE TAILING PONDS
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SOIL DIKE AROUND THE TAILING PONDS LEAKAGE
THROUGH THE DIKE
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LEAKAGE FROM THE TAILING PONDS MOVES TOWARD THE
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
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LEAKED WATER ACIDITY IS TOO HIGH PH2
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PEOPLE INVITE THE AUTHORITY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM
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SOIL DIKE OF POND NUMBER 17 LAST YEAR HAD
IMPORTANT LEAKAGE
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(No Transcript)
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• TEHER IS AN INTENSE HIGHLY DISTURBING
• SULFUR SMELL IN THE AIR
• NO BIRD YOU CAN SEE FLYING OVER THE
• AREA (EXCEPT THIS ONE)

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RESIDENTIAL AREA IS VERY NEAR TO THE CMC SITE
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THIS RIVER BED SUPPORTS THE UNDERGROUND WATER ALSO
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STREAM TO THE SEA
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SEA CONTAMINATION

• CONSIDERING THE DISCOLORATION OF THE SEA ON WAVY
  DAYS, THERE IS HIGH VOLUME OF MINE WASTE
  MATERIALS DEPOSITED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE
  MEDITERRANEAN SEA DUE TO
• SPILLING OF MATERIALS WHILE MANUALLY LOADING THE
  SHIPS IN PAST
• DRAINING OF RAIN SURFACE WATER THROUGH WASTE
  PILES IN MINE PROCESSING AREA
• REACHING TO THE SEA OF CONTAMINATED GROUND WATER
  ESPECIALLY UNDER THE TAILING PONDS
• ABOUT 5 KM LENGTH AND 800M WIDTH OF THE SEA HAS
  DISCOLORATION, TURNING TO THE COLOR OF
  REDISH-YELLOWISH.
• IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE ENTIRE EASTERN
  MEDIRRENEAN SEA REGION IS UNDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL
  ATTACK BY CMCS ABANDONED WASTES.

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DISCOLRATION OF THE SEA AT THE COAST
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DISCOLRATION OF THE SEA AT THE COAST
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LEFKA RESERVIOR
Views of Mavrovouni Mine Entrance circa 1957 and
2001 Views are Looking west from the Area of
Lefka.
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PYRITE POND
LEFKA RESERVIOR
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CONCLUSIONS

• THE CMC SITE IS VERY HEAVILY CONTAMINATED WITH
  INORGANIC CONSTITUENTS INCLUDING TOXIC METALS
  THAT PRESENT A GREAT THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH
• THE CONTAMINATION IS CONTINUOUSLY BEING SPREAD
  AND IS ENTERING THE DRINKING WATER AND FOOD CHAIN
• DURING THE OPERATIONS OF CMC, THE MINING WASTE
  WAS CONTINUOUSLY DISCHARGED INTO THE
  MEDITERRANEAN SEA FROM THE TAILING PONDS ( IT IS
  ESTIMATED THAT SEVERAL MILLIONS TONS OF MINING
  WASTE HAVE BEEN DEPOSITED IN THE SEA AT THIS
  LOCATION).
• THE LEFKE WATER STORAGE RESORVOIR WAS CONSTRUCTED
  WITHOUT CONSIDERATION OF THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF
  MINING WASTE IN THE VICINITY AND TEHEREFORE,
  BECAME CONTAMINATED IN A SHORT TIME.

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THIS STUDY HAS BEEN MADE BY THE SUPPORT OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION