Environmental effects and rehabilitation of the waste from abandoned mine site in the Balya district of Balikesir province

In this study, metal content and acid mine drainage potential of waste deposited in the Balya District of Balıkesir Province without any precaution has been determined, analysis of surface waters which passes deposition field and flowing through the Manyas Dam Lake and sediments, has been carried out and results evaluated positionally and in accordance with the legislation. Mining wastes in the field metal has been classified as hazardous waste according the By-Law on Waste Management and By-Law on Mining Waste because of high amount of heavy metal containment mainly Pb and Zn according to elemental analyze results and acid producing wastes properties according applied geochemical static test results (Modified SOBEK). In point of surface waters, pH decreases, EC, concentration of SO4, some of the heavy metals and metalloids (Pb, Zn, As, Cd, Fe, Mn, Al) reaches peak levels at the sampling point (YÜ-B-2) which is at the downstream of the waste heaps with respect to the sampling point (YÜ-B-1) which is at the upstream of. With the merge of Kocaçay and Madra Stream, increase in the pH and decrease in the metal concentration have been observed from taken samples (YÜ-B-3, YÜ-B-4) from this sampling point through the Manyas Dam Lake. In the light of all this information, rehabilitation of waste dump has been found appropriate with the method of "Surface Closure" because of the reasons like short implementation duration and worldwide real scale implementations at the similar fields. With this method; U type channeling of Maden Creek throughout B1 Region where the wastes will be deposited, drainage of surface runoff which may come from north of B1 Region by the interception channel, total contact of wastes with surface waters and surface runoff will be eliminated by the constitution of drainage system and impermeable layer to the all surfaces contacting with the waste. Approximate cost of method has been determined between 10324123 TL and 11224745 TL.