Document Type
Conference Paper
Publication Date
2006
Abstract
Current and proposed expansions to existing underground coal mines are occurring in closer proximity to and directly beneath urban areas. The density of built infrastructure potentially impacted by longwall mining is substantially increased in urban areas when compared with mining beneath rural areas. Management of the impacts of longwall mining in such areas requires extensive consultation with the affected community, including education and management of communities’ expectations regarding what could be expected during and after the mining period. Approaches undertaken by Tahmoor Colliery to manage the potential impacts of mining under the township of Tahmoor are discussed. A summary of impacts that have occurred as a result of mining the first two longwalls are outlined, which are part of a series of eight longwalls that the Colliery plans to mine beneath this town. The experience gained at Tahmoor illustrates that longwall mining beneath urban areas is sustainable and can be successfully managed to mitigate the impacts on surface developments.
Publication Details
This conference paper was originally published as Kay, D, Waddington, A, Page, J and de Somer, B, Management of Impacts of Longwall Mining under Urban Areas, in Aziz, N (ed), Coal 2006: Coal Operators' Conference, University of Wollongong & the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2006, 337-345.