JSC Lebedinsky GOK, Gubkin, Russia:

N. P. Malina, Chief Hydrogeologist, malina_n_p@lebgok.ru
O. V. Anpilov, Head of Drainage Mine

The history of mining at Lebedinsky iron ore deposit is inseparably connected with the expansion of the drainage system at the open pit mine. The international practice knows no other that large mining object developed under such complicated hydrogeological conditions. The open pit mine field drainage system underwent transformation as mining operations hit deeper levels. During generation and improvement of this system, both domestic and foreign experience of open pit mine protection from inflow of underground water and atmospheric fallout has been grasped and used beneficially. At the present type, the drainage system at Lebedinsky GOK (Mining and Processing Plant) consists of two loops: external (underground openings of the drainage mine) and internal (drainage facilities inside the open pit mine). The external loop begirds the open pit mine with the drainage workings over 36 km in overall length, including 313 drainage raises and 8 cased holes with filters. Discharge wells in number of 38 drain water collected in the internal drainage loop and by the pumping station of the open pit mine into the underground workings. The central underground pumping stations in the drainage mine shafts annually pump out 66–68 Mm³ of water in recent five years. Water is taken out to the surface receiving reservoirs of the pumping stations of the second lift stage and is pumped over to be used in production processes. Drainage raises in number of 20, connected to a water collector, supply Lebedinsky GOK and subsidiary production units with utility and drinking water. The internal drainage loop includes the pitwall drain and discharge trenches, closed pile drainage, by-pass pipes, discharge horizontal fan holes, driven wells with filters and fan hole pits. The pitwall trenches are re-driven (transferred) as mining front advances. In 2016 the annual infl ow to the pumping stations of the drainage mine has totaled 8812.8 m³/h, including 5599 m³/h from the external loop, 2849.5 m³/h from the internal loop and 364 m3/h from the pumping station of the open pit mine drainage.

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