Use of the gray water footprint as an indicator of contamination caused by artisanal mining in Colombia

Abstract

The production chain in the gold mining sector in Colombia is one of the most controversial as it requires large volumes of fresh water, and in some cases generates discharges without adequate prior treatment, which results in a high degree of contamination for ecosystems. In the municipality of Suarez there is a large territory dedicated to artisanal mining therefore, in order to provide relevant information for the mitigation of pollution caused by mining, a regional study is completed. In this study, the gray water footprint (GWF) was determined in 6 beds dedicated to artisanal gold mining, in the municipality of Suarez, Cauca, Colombia associated with high contents of TSS (Total suspended solids) and Hg (Mercury). The results showed indicated that the greatest problem in the high levels of GWF by artisanal gold mining activities is related to the dumping of total suspended solids and to a lesser extent the dumping of mercury, however the volume of water necessary to assimilate the pollutant load of mercury still high, so the implementation of clean technologies and the non-use of Hg is recommended.Therefore, it is recommended to build treatment systems to reduce the pollutant load discharge for minimize the environmental impact generated by them.