Acid mine drainage - a legacy of an industrial past

By Stuart Baskerville2006-03-01T00:00:00

Source: Silvia B. Jakiello/Shutterstock

The environmental damage caused by acid mine drainage (AMD) is a worldwide and growing problem in those countries that once, or are still, extracting coal and/or metals. What is AMD, what effect does it have on the environment, and what can be done about

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is the acidic water produced when rock containing sulphide minerals comes into contact with water and oxygen. Besides having a low pH, such water often contains high concentrations of dissolved solids, and often poses a serious threat to groundwater quality which, in turn, can affect drinking water;¹ AMD destroys aquatic life and the problems can be long term - some Roman mine sites in Britain, for example, still generate

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