Author(s): G. Hadzilacos; Ml. Ng; K. Taske; A. Small; B. Loney
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Environmental Flows; Environmental Impact Study; IHA; ELOHA; Bauxite Mining
Abstract: Mining operations have a high potential to alter ecological processes, including flow patterns of natural waterways. Alteration of flow patterns may have an irreversible impact on ecosystems dependent on the timing, duration and frequency of these flows. As part of an Environmental Impact Study, carried out for a proposed mining operation in Australia, an appropriate waterway management scheme was proposed that required the establishment of measurable instream flow requirements. This paper describes an environmental flow analysis (EFA) carried out to identify flow regimes that achieve the desired ecological outcomes for the affected waterways. The EFA methodology was based on the range-of-variability approach using a calibrated rainfall-runoff model to form the hydrologic basis. The study established a relationship between flow components and ecological variables based upon which the flow requirements were estimated. The paper discusses the validity of such an approach for the assessment of ecological change.
Year: 2011