Home > JOGMEC's Activities > Mine Pollution Control > Overview of Technical Support Activities for Mine Pollution Prevention
Overview of Technical Support Activities for Mine Pollution Prevention
Suspended or abandoned mines in Japan include suspended mines with owners, where mining companies manage mine sites they previously operated and carry out mine pollution prevention measures, and abandoned mines without owners, where companies no longer exist to administrate. Many of the large-scale mines once operated by leading mining companies are still administered by them after the mines have been closed. However, many mines once operated by medium and small mining companies have been left as abandoned mines without owners, and their pollution prevention measures have been left to competent municipal governments because many of these mining companies went bankrupt or dissolved. JOGMEC offers technical support activities for mine pollution prevention to municipal governments that administer abandoned mines without owners. These activities, which include support to municipal governments for efficient and effective implementation of mine pollution prevention measures, are subclassified into "research and consulting" and "consignment operations."
Research and Consulting
JOGMEC provides technical support to the national government, municipal governments, and private-sector companies after receiving subsidies from the national government for efficient and effective mine pollution prevention measures at abandoned mines. The activities of research and consulting consist of "individual technical support," which deals with on-site individual problems, and "comprehensive technical support," which deals with all parties concerned.
1)Individual technical support
Many municipal governments employ no experts on mine pollution prevention, but are required to implement mine pollution prevention measures at abandoned mines without owners. These governments seek technical support, consulting, and other professional information. Upon request from a municipal government, JOGMEC offers the municipality technical support by conducting a field survey on pollution occurrence (including the possibility) at an abandoned mine, determining whether to implement mine pollution measures, and examining and recommending appropriate pollution prevention measures when necessary. JOGMEC has set up a committee of external experts that advises on and examines the implementation policies and proposals for municipal governments in order to ensure their technical appropriateness. JOGMEC conducted surveys of 179 mines nationwide from 1973 to 2004 and submitted a total of 276 reports to municipal governments.
Conceptual Diagram of Research and Consulting (Individual Technical Support) Scheme
2)Comprehensive technical support
Meanwhile, JOGMEC provides information and technical assistance on mine pollution prevention measures for bodies and organizations involved in mine pollution prevention projects. The contents of the information provided and technical assistance are divided into collecting and organizing data materials concerning suspended or abandoned mines, disseminating technologies and information, and technical support for streamlining mine pollution prevention projects.
Services and Clients of the Mine Pollution Control Group
Consignment Operations
After a municipal government determines that a mine pollution prevention measure is necessary for an abandoned mine and requests a JOGMEC prevention measure, JOGMEC will discuss the applicable engineering methods for mine pollution prevention and will accordingly design the construction works. Moreover, when a mine drainage treatment facility is constructed, it must be responsible for the subsequent operational management of the facility. With a subsidy received from the national government, the municipal government is bound to carry out construction works for mine pollution prevention at an abandoned mine that has no owner. In this case, the municipal government may ask for a technical survey and analysis from outside experts. JOGMEC provides this research, analysis, and other operations, called "consignment operations," when a municipal government entrusts them to JOGMEC.
1) Survey design
After contracting with a municipal government, JOGMEC will obtain necessary on-site data based on fundamental policies for mine pollution prevention measures and will determine specific engineering methods for mine pollution prevention. JOGMEC will also prepare basic documents for design drawings that are needed for the construction works implemented by municipal governments.
Conceptual Diagram of Consignment Operations Scheme
2) Construction works support
JOGMEC provides on-site technical advice on construction works for mine pollution prevention implemented by municipal governments, and it monitors water qualities before, during, and after the construction works.
3)Administration and control of mine drainage treatment facility
JOGMEC has contracted with the government of Iwate Prefecture to conduct the administration and control of a new neutralization plant at the abandoned Matsuo Mine. The Matsuo Mine, located in Hachimantai City in Iwate Prefecture, has the largest mine drainage treatment capacity among the abandoned mines without owners. Moreover, this mine is under restoration of vegetation and natural scenery by reclaiming tailings and waste dumps and covering the open pit site with soil and vegetation.
