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Assessing risks associated with the flooding of mine voids on underground infrastructure and water resources in and around Johannesburg (South Africa)

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Uranium - Past and Future Challenges
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Abstract

After more than a century deep level gold mining in and around Johannesburg stopped in 2008 resulting in the gradually flooding of the abandoned mine void. Triggered by extensive media reports on the risks associated with acidic mine water rising to the surface of the inner city ranging from collapse of high-rise buildings, sinkholes, water pollution and increased seismicity two major banks with headquarters in Johannesburg commissioned a desk top risk assessment from which selected results are discussed in this paper. Based on these findings low-cost, low energy alternatives to the currently adopted pump-and-treat approach are proposed.

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Correspondence to Frank Winde .

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Winde, F., Erasmus, E. (2015). Assessing risks associated with the flooding of mine voids on underground infrastructure and water resources in and around Johannesburg (South Africa). In: Merkel, B., Arab, A. (eds) Uranium - Past and Future Challenges. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11059-2_24

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