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By J. C. Coetzee

In this article, a case is made for the importance of the transfer and management of tacit knowledge to ensure continued sustainable competitive advantage within the pyrometallurgical industry in South Africa. The state of knowledge management (KM) is assessed through a theoretical and empirical study. The empirical part of the study was conducted by means of a survey questionnaire. An important prerequisite within the research entailed determining the current state of KM within the pyrometallurgical industry, and the findings are presented throughout this article. The research argues for initiatives to address the high turnover of pyrometallurgical knowledge workers. This industry needs to entrench tacit knowledge and therefore address the problems associated with the continuous loss of inherent specialized knowledge. Appropriately, emphasis is placed on identifying initiatives required to embed and retain not only human capital lost through mobility, but rather retaining tacit knowledge through a practical KM framework.

Jan 1, 2012

By I. L. Follington

A breaker line support (BLS) monitoring system, BLSmon, has been designed and constructed by the CSIRO and installed and commissioned at Laleham No.1 Colliery, Queensland. This system was designed to record hydraulic leg pressure and canopy position measurements and relay these, in real time, to the surface. The system has shown itself to be capable of operating on the BLSs without any adverse affect on production, Analysis of the results of the monitoring exercise has shown that rate of change of leg pressures on the BLSs could be used as an aid in the prediction of adverse mining conditions. Under favourable mining conditions the supports were observed to initially unload from the set pressure, this unloading reduced with time and by the end of a typical lift cycle had either ceased or reversed slightly. This behaviour was considered to be due to one of four possible causes, these being; the compaction of floor debris, and/or compaction of the floor, and/or crushing of the roof and /or support creep. The actual cause can only be determined through detailed monitoring of both roof and support convergence. However observational data would suggest that compaction of debris and softened floor material beneath the supports was the most likely cause. The few positive loading rates recorded under these conditions were of short duration and occurred towards the end of individual lifts. Where mining conditions were unfavourable the negative rates of change of pressure, unloading of the support, were reduced throughout a lift, in both duration and magnitude, when compared with favourable mining conditions. Over the same period the positive rates of change were observed to be greater. The rate of change of loading and convergence can be utilised to identify the onset of instability in the lift area. However, before this facility can be utilised by the mine for the reliable prediction of instability more monitored data and sophisticated processing techniques are required. A mechanism has been postulated for the deformation behaviour of the roof and pillars in a mechanised pillar extraction operation from the continuously monitored data, observational data and results of previous studies. The 7 m wide fenders were observed to yield under abutment stresses before lifting commenced. The stability of these fenders throughout the lifting sequence was considered to be dependant upon the magnitude of their post peak load carrying capability. This is influenced by the post peak stiffness and the extent of roof lowering in the vicinity of the fender. Difficulties with fender extraction occurred where remnant coal left standing in the goaf caused uncaved goat to bridge to the mined fender. Difficulties were also experienced where sub-vertical jointing occurred in the roof of the split reducing it's ability to bridge effectively. Despite the relatively short monitoring period, the potential role and application of continuous monitoring in advancing understanding of the rock mass response to mechanised pillar extraction operations has been demonstrated. This understanding now requires enhancement and shows great potential for aiding the optimisation of mechanised pillar extraction operations.

Jan 1, 1992

W. G. MATTESON,* Fort Worth, Tex. (written discussion?).-Dr. Brokaw has evidently given a great deal of time and study to this phenomenon and his conclusions seem sound and logical. .Mr. Lee Hager was probably the first geologist of repute to attach any great importance to the occurrence of paraffin dirt in connection with the Gulf Coast oil-producing salt domes. The writer has been reliably informed that through his discussion, the idea was promulgated that the presence of this so-called paraffin dirt was one of the most important and reliable indications of the presence of an oil-producing salt dome. Despite very strong evidence to the contrary, Hager evidently still has considerable confidence in this theory, as brought forth in his discussion1 of Dr. Brokaw's paper. Halter here gives all the paraffin dirt occurrences known to him, and adds, "Fifteen of these localities, including practically all of the greatest fields, have produced oil in some quantity." . The acceptance of the list of occurrences as submitted by Hager depends upon what material we are justified in including under the term "paraffin dirt." If we agree to a broad classification, whereby paraffin dirt is. to include all spongy, earthy, decomposed, vegetable material, or spongy soil impregnated with the same, then Haggler's list will have to be not only accepted but perhaps enlarged. On the other hand, if we confine ourselves to a strict interpretation of the substance known as paraffin dirt, based .upon typical occurrences, general understanding, and application, several of Hager's occurrences will be seriously questioned by many geologists. The typical material is excellently described by Hager as a dirt or soil-like substance "resilient to the step, like rubber, which falls apart in small squares when dug. Intimately mixed with the soil itself and between the cracks and joint planes is a yellow, jelly-like

Jan 11, 1918

By P. N. Mohan Das, K. Harikrishna Bhat

"The major ilmenite reserves are located in India at Chavara (CH), Manavalakurichi ( MK) and Chatrapur, Orissa (OR). India stands first in terms of ilmenite reserves, which are estimated to be 278 million tonnes out of which, 142 million tonnes are processable. Mineralo-chemical analysis showed that Chavara ilmenite is the most weathered one with about 60% TiO2 while Chatrapur is the least weathered with about 50% TiO2. XRD and SEM studies of different magnetic fractions of these three mineral deposits established the co-existence of ilmenite with pseudorutile, rutile and haematite phases in substantially varying amounts. It is observed that the tropical weathering rather than the source rock difference has apparently played an important role in imparting major compositional and structural dissimilarities among the ilmenites in different places. Further, the chemical analysis, XRD and SEM characterisation of differently weathered samples of MK ilmenite separated by the magnetic fractionation showed that the degree of alteration was invariably associated with the decrease in magnetism, increase in the rutile phase and the change in Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio of ilmenite grains. Magnetically separated fractions when subjected to metallisation with carbonaceous reductant such as coke showed that the degree of reduction increases with the degree of alteration and with the decrease in the Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio.In the processing of ilmenite through the Becher process, aeration rusting of pre - reduced ilmenite is found to be the rate-limiting step thus, affecting the productivity and economy of the process. Investigations have proved that the addition of some organic compounds such as glyoxal, sucrose etc., to the system accelerates the reaction to such an extent that the rusting time has been reduced to less than half. The formation of acids by the these organic compounds during the rusting reaction was proved responsible for maintaining the pH of the solution in the range 3-4 at which iron hydroxide do not precipitate and block the pores in the reacting surface of the grain."

Jan 1, 2003

By M. J. Beus, B. Stewart, S. Iverson

Synopsis U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) accidents statistics have identified ore-pass hazards as a significant safety problem in U.S. underground metal mines. The statistics show that nearly 75% of injuries are directly or indirectly related to pulling or freeing of ore-pass chutes, the use of hand tools in ore passes, fails of broken rock in ore passes and structural failures of chutes or gates and ore-pass walls. Researchers at the Spokane Research Laboratory of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are investigating hazards in and around ore passes in hard rock mines. Risk assessment methods, such as fault-tree analysis, have been employed to identify the most probable causes of orepass failures, define research priorities and analyse the factors that result in malfunctioning and unsafe ore passes. Static and dynamic loads are being measured in a laboratory setting with the use of a reduced-scale orepass mock-up. Field tests are being initiated in mine ore passes to determine static and dynamic loads. Data from the test ore passes are being compared with data from the mine to characterize true system behaviour. Computer modelling with the use of closed-form solutions, finite-element analyses and a newly developed particle flow code predicts static and dynamic leads from the flow and the impact of ore and waste in the ore pass. Preliminary results indicate that dynamic impacts from ore and waste rock might be considerably greater than expected. The total static load is substantially less than is typically used fur the structural design of chute and gate support members. It is suggested that damping factors, normal and shear stiffness and mass frictional characteristics have a significant effect on particle flow and resulting impact loads. This is being verified with the use of results from laboratory tests, field tests and particle flow analyses. Ore passes are vertical or steeply inclined openings in a rock mass through which ore and waste are transported and where they mar also be stored. A typical underground mining system is shown in Fig. 1. The arrows indicate the locations of ore passes and loading pockets and their relative configurations. The control of material flow is potentially one of the most hazardous operations in underground mining. According to MSHA data. most of the ore pass-related accidents in the U.S.A. are associated with the loading-unloading cycle and removal of blockages from ore passes. In particular, attempts to free ore hang-ups have resulted in multiple fatalities. The hazards are obvious; there is uncertainty as to when the ore will break loose and miners are unable to escape falling rock to a safe location. Although ore passes and chutes and gate systems for underground metal and non-metal mines roust meet the requirements specified in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Parts 57 and 75, recent structural failures of ore-pass linings and gates have underlined the lack of adequate ore-pass design standards available to both MSHA enforcement staff and mine engineers. Because of the importance of an ore pass to the safe operation of a mine design criteria need to be assessed and new guidelines developed. Researchers at the Spokane Research Laboratory of the Nationals Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are investigating hazards in and around ore passes in hard rock mines and studying design criteria for ore passes. The near-term goal is to conduct laboratory and field experiments and computer modelling to evaluate the ore-pass design criteria currently used. Literature searches, field site

By Z. Rogovin

In order to develop more accurate procedures for scale-up and design of semi-autogenous-grinding mills through detailed mathematical models, a better understanding of the charge motion and rock/ball segregation is needed. To achieve this a 0.61 m (2.0 ft) diameter x 0.305 m (1.0 ft) length plexiglas mill was constructed as a scale model of a commercial SAG mill. Rock motion in the rotating mill was simulated using various sizes of ceramic balls. Quantitative measurements of dynamic angle of repose, water and slurry motion, holdup and size segregation of the charge were taken. In addition, a video-presentaiton (available to the public) was prepared to elucidate charge and water motion at various mill speeds, charge volumes, rock size distribution and flow rates.

Jan 1, 1985

[THE BLAST FURNACE Blast Furnace U. S.A., M. O. Holowaty, and C. M. Squarcy Part I - Colonial Ironmakers (JOURNAL OF METALS, May, 1957)3 Part II - The Age of Mineral Coal (JOURNAL OF METALS, July, 1957) 9 Part III - From Falling Creek to Zug Island (JOURNAL OF METALS, October, 1957 17 Sterling, Ringwood, and Greenwood, R. W. Shearman and F. Weston Starratt (JOURNAL OF METALS, September, 1959) 23]

Jan 1, 1961

T.B.King (Depaytment of Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)— A valuable contribution of the authors is in the factual information which they have been able to gather; this type of information is quite difficult to obtain. In many respects, however, it would have been better if they had not subsequently embarked on a discussion of the chemistry of the converter process. It seems inconceivable that the authors do not refer to the papers of Schuhmann and his associates14 which have set the thermodynamic foundation for the whole copper smelting operation. In addition, a very useful review on the physical chemistry of copper smelting by Ruddle 5 appeared as long ago as 1953. An examination of this literature would have convinced the authors that there is no cause to be surprised at a correlation between the magnetic content and the silica content of converter slags, though they rightly point out that one should distinguish between the total magnetite content of the slag and the amount of magnetite which may be considered to be in solution. It is not true that the lowest melting converter slag is that corresponding to the eutectic between ferrous oxide and silica. The simplest slag system which can be considered is a three-component system, since both ferric and ferrous iron are present. As Schuhmann, Powell, and Michal have shown, there are lower melting compositions than this eutectic in the ternary system. The most unfortunate impression given by this paper is that the driving force for chemical reaction is determined by the heat of reaction: of course the entropy change must be taken into account. It would have been more correct to list, in Table VI, values for free energies of formation. Nor can it be said that the data in Table VI represent the "best available data." They do not corregtond with any of the recent, acknowledged sources. F. E. Lathe and L. Hodnett(author's reply)— We are pleased that Dr. King finds the factual information in our uawer of some interest. Dr. King suggests that it would have been better if our analysis and discussion of the data had been omitted, largely because our list of references is so. incomplete. If he will carefully read our introduction, he will see that the questionnaire was sent out in the hope of obtaining data which would throw light on certain questions relating to the use of converter refractories. We did not attempt (nor would the AIME have published!) a complete review of the literature on copper converting, as Dr. King has apparently assumed, nor indeed a complete analysis of the data submitted, but tried only to find a sound basis for the choice of refractories, taking into consideration common variations in converter practice. We hope our paper indicates that, by raising the silica content of the converter slag and operating at a higher temperature, the normal circulating load of magnetite can be greatly reduced, and the whole reverberatory-converter operation improved to a major degree, with resultant important savings. Under such operating conditions, chrome-magnesite brick may be expected to stand up better than those of straight magnesite. Regardless of the choice as between these brick types, however, we find the cost of converter refractories to be so low in comparison with other converter costs as to justify operation under the more severe conditions suggested. Valuable as are the papers by Schuhmann and associates and the book by Ruddle, we make no apology for omitting reference to them, nor for using heats of reaction without mention of entropy changes or free energies of formation. Our primary object was to interest the practicing copper metallurgist, with whose language we may claim to be fairly familiar; we think it would have been unwise to include the highly theoretical phases of the subject which Dr. King suggests. The interest shown in our preliminary paper presented at the New York meeting in 1956, and the trends in practice whtat we have observed since that time, suggest that we did not wholly miss the target. In conclusion, we sincerely hope that Professors King and Schuhmann will independently review the data obtained in our questionnaire and submit a paper giving their own recommendations as to the choice of refractories and the particular converter operating conditions which will result in the lowest overall cost of copper smelting and converting.

Jan 1, 1960

Jan 1, 1947

By Paul Bechtner

THE name bentonite formerly was applied solely to a peculiar clay occurring in Wyoming and South Dakota, which was distinguished from other clays by its unctuous feel when wet and the property of swelling in water. In the last decade scientific studies of clay have recognized that bentonite is composed mainly of the clay mineral montmorillonite and the name bentonite has been extended to cover the entire family of clays that have montmorillonite as their chief constituent. Montmorillonite has the chemical formula of A1203-4Si0-xH2O, With Fe203 and MgO replacing part of the A1203. The montmorillonite crystal is an Si-Al-Si clay mineral, being formed of two silicon-oxygen sheets with an aluminum-oxygen sheet sandwiched between them. In contrast, kaolinite-the chief clay mineral of most clays other than bentonite-is Si-Al, one silica and one alumina sheet. The unit crystal of montmorillonite is much thinner than that of kaolinite, with greater surface area. These differences in crystal structure patterns are leading factors in the dissimilar properties and commercial uses of bentonite compared with other clays. Mineralogically, bentonites are 85 to 90 pct montmorillonite with fragments of feldspar, gypsum, calcium carbonate, quartz and traces of other minerals. They vary in color; the widely used Wyoming type is creamy white when dry and a light shade of tan when wet; the low-swelling bentonites of the southern United States and elsewhere are found in many shades of gray, blue, yellow, red, and brown. Pure white bentonites are rarer and generally of the medium or low-swelling type, though there are a few exceptions to that general rule. PROPERTIES Bentonites may be divided into two general classes: (1) those that adsorb large quantities of water, "swelling" greatly in the process, and that remain in suspension in thin water dispersions; (2) those that adsorb only slightly more water than ordinary plastic clays or fuller's earths, do not swell noticeably, and settle rapidly in thin water dispersions. Another distinction is that some varieties of the No. 2 type

Jan 1, 1949

HARRY B. BARREN Harry B. Barren, born in Cleveland, Ohio, May 31, 1888, died in Indiana Harbor, Ind., on Mar. 18, 1918. After graduating from the Case School of. Applied Science of Cleveland, class of 1910, he spent a year at the Youngstown, Ohio, plant of the Carnegie Steel Co. and the following two years with the National Tube Co. in Lorraine, Ohio. In 1913, he went to Indiana Harbor as assistant superintendent of the blast furnaces of the Inland Steel Co. Four months later, he was made superintendent. On Feb. 11, 1914, he was married to Miss Anna E. Jones in Cleveland and is survived by his widow and two sons, and by his parents Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Barren, of Cleveland, and a brother Kenneth, a lieutenant in the 309th Engineers, stationed at Camp Taylor, Louisville, Ky. CHAS. H. JOHNSON Charles Harmany Johnson died Dec. 10, 1918, at his home in New Castle, Pa., after an illness of more than four weeks brought about by a complete nervous collapse. He was born near Clinton, Lawrence Co. Pa., July 9, 1870, a son of George W. and Elizabeth A. Johnson. His parents moved to New Castle when he was two years old, where he attended the public schools of New Castle. He then attended Allegheny College, and later Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he graduated as a mining engineer. For a year and a half after completing his work at Boston he was connected with the Mesaba Ore Range in Minnesota, and then returned to New Castle and became associated with his father in the operation of the old sheet mill, which was converted into a tin mill and later sold to the American Sheet and Tin Plate Co. Since that time he has been actively engaged with his father in the limestone business and other industries. At the time of his death Mr. Johnson was general manager of the Pittsburg Limestone Co., the G. W. Johnson Limestone Co., the Lawrence Limestone Co., the Keystone Limestone Co., and the Mahoning Limestone Co., all of which have quarries in Lawrence, Butler, Blair and Armstrong counties and also in Maryland and West Virginia. He was president of the Johnson Bronze Co., the National Stone Co., and the

Jan 3, 1919

1. New books Specialty steels and hard materials, edited by N. R. Comins and J. B. Clark. Oxford, Pergamon, 1983.482 pp. Hardcover £55.50. Papers presented at an international conference on advances in flow measurement techniques, edited by H. S. Stephens and B. Jarvis. BHRA Fluid Engineering (Cranfield, Bedford, MK43 OAJ, England), 1982. £36. Papers presented at Fourth European Conference on Mixing, edited by H. S. Stephens and D. Goodes. BHRA Fluid Engineering (Cranfield, Bedford, MK43 OAJ, England), 1982. £36. Papers presented at an international conference on hydrocyclones, edited by H. S. Stephens and G. Priestley. BHRA Fluid Engineering (Cranfield, Bedford, MK43, OAJ, England), 1982. 248 pp. £27. Controlled atmospheres for heat treatment, by R. Nemenyi. Oxford, Pergamon, 1983. 225 pp. Hardcover 20, flexicover £7.50. Electrochemical techniques in corrosion testing and research, edited by J. S. Scully. Oxford, Pergamon, 1983. 150 pp. Flexicover £9.45 2. Book reviews Off highway truck haulage, by the Newman Combined Group. Parkvine (Victoria), Australasian Institute of Mining and Metanurgy, 1982. Reviewer: B. J. Vorster Elsevier's mineral and rock table, compiled by P. Lof. Reviewer: A. Wedepohl Field geologists' manual, by B. A. Berkman. Monograph Series No. 9, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metanurgy, 1982.295 pp. Reviewer: R. A. G. Cuipers 3. Mintek reports Report M56 A computer programme for the evaluation of process routes in the production of ferrochromium. Report M61 An atomic-absorption programme for the Apple 11 Plus computer. Report M63 A general-purpose data logger. Report M65 A preliminary survey of the corrosivity of water in gold mines. Report M66 A review of corrosion inhibitors: theory and practice. Report M67 The determination of total cyanide in solutions containing uranium and gold. Report M68 The suitability of Doppler flowmeters for use in the minerals-processing industry. Report M70 The preparation and certification of two reference materials of South African manganese ore. Report M78 A n evaluation of the Leeds laboratory-scale flotation cell. Report M79 The determination, by X-ray-fluorescence spectrometry, of gold and uranium on resin. Report M80 The installation and commissioning of a Siemens SRS200 sequential X-ray-fluorescence spectrometer. Report M81 The application of the inductively coupled plasma system to the simultaneous determination of precious metals. Open-pit and strip mines The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and the Mining Alumni Society of the University of Pretoria are organizing an International Conference on The Planning and Operation of Open Pit and Strip Mines in Pretoria from 9th to 13th April, 1984. Other Institutes co-sponsoring the Conference are The Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, The Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, and The Society of Mining Engineers of AIME.

Jan 1, 1983

By F. Freme

Coal production in the United States increased in2004 by 36 Mt (39.7 million st) to end the year at 1 Gt(1.11 billion st), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). This was a 3.7-percent in-crease from 2003’s 971.6 Mt (1.07 billion st) (Table 1).(All percentage change calculations are done at the short-tons level.) Although U.S. coal consumption rose in 2004, not all coal-consuming sectors had increased consumption for the year. Coal consumption increased in the electric power sectors by 1 percent and declined slightly in the other industrial sector, while coking coal consumption dropped by 2.4 percent. U.S. coal exports rose for the second consecutive year, while coal imports again increased to record levels. Coal stocks declined during the year, as electric generators used their stockpiles to helpmeet increased demands and missed shipments. Coal producers used their stockpiles to supplement their production levels.

Jan 1, 2005

WE the undersigned, being all persons of full age and citizens of the United States, and a majority residents of the State of New York, desiring to form a corporation pursuant to the provisions of the Membership Corporations Law for the purpose of incorporating, as provided in Section 6 of Article I. of said law, the existing unincorporated association known as American Institute of Mining Engineers, do hereby make, acknowledge and 6le this Certificate for that purpose, and do Certify as follows: I. That the American Institute of Mining Engineers is an unincorporated association organized and existing with the object of promoting the arts and sciences connected with the economic production of the useful minerals and metals and the welfare of those employed in these industries by means of meetings for social intercourse and the reading and discussion of professional papers, and to circulate by means of publications among its members and associates the information thus obtained. 11. That the persons duly appointed or designated to manage the affairs of said association are designated by the rules thereof Members of its Council; that the under- signed are all members of said Council as the same was constituted on the 29th day of December, 1904.

Jan 1, 1942

By D. T. Kinard, A. A. Schweizer

An operational 9 meter (30-foot) high gold heap leach pile was investigated by excavating test pits up to 6 meters (20 feet) deep, obtaining bulk and relatively undisturbed thin wall drive samples, and observing the ore distribution patterns exposed in the test pit walls. The clayey ore is crushed, agglomerated with lime and cement, and deposited on the leach pads using a radial stacker. Laboratory tests performed included moisture-density, gradation, compaction, Atterberg limits, permeability (constant and falling head), and triaxial strength tests. Discussion is presented on the effects of agglomeration on the permeability and strength characteristics of the in-place ore. Also discussed is the effect of deposition of the ore using the radial stacker.

Jan 1, 1987

By Robert Glass Cleland

[CHAPTER PAGE I Anson Greene Phelps II A Family Enterprise III Railroads, Coal, and Lumber VI William E. Dodge, Merchant and Philanthropist]

Jan 1, 1952

By R. Asmatulu

According to Darcy?s law, the rate of filtration should increase with increasing pressure drop across a filter cake. In centrifugal filtration, the driving pressure is created by the centrifugal forces applied in the free water on the surface of a filter cake. However, the pressure drop can become negative when the free water surface disappears, which makes it difficult to achieve low cake moistures. In hyperbaric centrifugal filtration, this problem is overcome using air pressure to restore the pressure differential. In the present work, various mineral and coal fines have been subjected to hyperbaric centrifugal filtration tests. The laboratory tests show that the moistures of various mineral fines, such as copper and zinc concentrates, phosphate, talc, kaolin clay, and precipitated calcium carbonate, can be reduced substantially below that achieved by conventional centrifuges. Similar promising results have also been obtained with various coal fines in laboratory and pilot-scale test programs and in full-scale plant demonstrations.

Jan 1, 2012

Jan 1, 1948

By Ivan F. Avery

DOMESTIC production of carbon black increased 4 percent in 1962 to 2,056 million pounds. Furnace black output was 8 percent, or 132 million pounds, above that in 1961 and accounted for 90 percent of total carbon black production. Channel black output continued to decline and was 55 million pounds less than in 1961. Carbon black shipments during the year totaled 2,082 million pounds and were 5 percent above those of 1961. About one-fifth of these shipments were exported; the balance were sold domestically. An increase of 180 million pounds in domestic sales was partially offset by a decline of 80 million pounds in exports. Total value of carbon black production in 1962 was $145 million. The average value per pound of 7.06 cents was 0.24 cent per pound less than in 1961. Producers' stocks declined 26 million pounds during the year.

Jan 1, 1963

By Benjamin C. Greene, H. Beecher Charmbury

Water is a most remarkable substance, essential for life of all kinds. As well as needing water to survive, man has always used it for agriculture, transportation, recreation, and many other things. When our country was young and inhabited by few people, the streams, rivers, and lakes were able to provide all the clean water needed by man and take away all the wastes created. However, with our growing population and an ever-increasing demand for goods and services, the public, industry, and government at all levels have become acutely aware of the need to manage the nation's water resources more efficiently. Abundant energy from many sources has helped this nation to become the greatest industrial nation in the world. Coal has contributed a major portion of this energy, generating electricity, running railroads, and maintaining national security during wartime. The result has been the highest standard of living in the world and a time of widespread economic prosperity. The use of water in coal mining is somewhat different from its use in most industries. With the exception of water used in cleaning plants, for underground dust control, and for fire protection, most of the water en- countered in coal mining operations serves no useful purpose. In other words, it is an undesirable element and must be removed, otherwise it will interfere with operations, cause potential water quality problems, and may even stop operations by flooding. In the past, removing water from working areas of most mines was usually a fairly simple matter. Pumps with piping were installed at sumps or low spots in the mine and the water was pumped to the surface or to drainage control facilities constructed for the operation. Ditches were often used to collect and drain the water by gravity to the outside or to main sumps for pump discharge. In either case, the water was allowed to flow into the nearest stream or river. The concept of "water is water" was generally accepted without too much concern for what was in

Jan 1, 1981