Room for rivers in mining landscapes: implications for mine closure design

Authors: Lucas, R Download Paper Open access courtesy of:

DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2615_152

Cite As:
Lucas, R 2026, 'Room for rivers in mining landscapes: implications for mine closure design', in AB Fourie, G Boggs, J Heyes & M Tibbett (eds), Mine Closure 2026: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Mine Closure, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 1-13, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2615_152



Abstract:
Mines interact with rivers in numerous ways. This paper is interested in their long-term physical interactions, especially as mines close. Mine closure planning requires practitioners to assess river behaviour over timescales extending well beyond conventional engineering design horizons, while landscape evolution models (LEMs) are increasingly used to evaluate long-term erosion and sediment generation from rehabilitated landforms, usually in small streams in the headwaters. Less attention is given to the capacity of larger channels and downstream floodplains to adjust to changing hydrological and sediment regimes over equivalent timescales. Consequently, closure assessments may underestimate risks associated with channel migration, avulsion, incision, aggradation and floodplain reworking where these processes interact with residual mine landforms such as final voids, waste rock dumps and tailings storage facilities. Internationally, the Room for Rivers (RfR) and Freedom Space concepts recognise that rivers require sufficient corridor width to accommodate geomorphic adjustment while maintaining long-term resilience. Although these concepts are increasingly incorporated into river management, it is proposed here that they could be highly useful, potentially even essential, in mine closure planning.

Keywords: mine closure, Room for Rivers, Freedom Space, geomorphology, river diversion

References: