Author(s): May-Le Ng; G. Hadzilacos; A. Vitale; B. Loney
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Hydrology; Modelling; Ungauged catchment; Quantifying the impact of strip mining
Abstract: Strip mining operations have the potential to significantly alter hydrological processes. The activities carried out over a given area during strip mining operations can vary considerably over the operation's life-time. Numerous models have been developed to quantify the impacts of land-use change on hydrological processes but few have considered the effect of incremental changes on the hydrology of the affected area over time. This case study explores a simple modelling approach quantifying the effects of strip mining on hydrological patterns over 10 different stages during a 30 year period of a proposed strip mining operation in Australia. The paper describes the calibration of an AWBM model, a non-distributed, dual storage rainfall-runoff model, using short-term observed data for calibration in the absence of any long-term flow data. The paper discusses the validity of this approach in assessing the hydrological change arising from such a development and its contribution to the overall environmental impact assessment.
Year: 2011