Actions

Preparatory, Implementation, Monitoring,
Public awareness, Project Management

Actions A: Preparatory Actions

The action focuses on the preparation of technical maps and adequate documentation that allow correct implementation activities in the four pilot areas. The documentation generated in action A1 will be used as a basis to request the relevant permits.

The Project requires several reports and technical documents; this action will serve to define these works. Mainly, a technical/mining/civil works project it required and it is formed by the following documents:

  • Construction project
  • Study of safety and health
  • Study of Environmental Impact
  • Monitoring and environmental control plan

SUBproducts4LIFE requires the preparation of a construction project that will include a safety and health study. Said project will require the authorization of:

  • Lena City Council
  • Ministry of Employment, Industry and Tourism of the Government of Asturias
  • Ministry of Infrastructures, Land-use Planning and Environment of the Government of Asturias
  • Cantabrian Hydrographic Confederation

The aim of this action it is to prepare the areas where the Pilot actions will be implemented in order to reach the necessary conditions to realize them correctly, as well as provide security for the workers and animals that will access the pilot areas.

Actions B: Implementation Actions

This action corresponds to the first pilot case. It takes place in a waste deposit located on top of Soterraña mine and production plant. The affected total surface is 4000 m2, on a former waste deposit with approximately 13000 t of waste material from the former ore processing plant. It is thus waste from chemical preparation and processes to obtain arsenic and mercury, with high heavy metal content.

  • Arsenic: 4.700 mg/kg
  • Mercury: 240 mg/kg

This action corresponds to the second pilot case. This area corresponds to the most contaminated zone in Soterraña (and probably in the project) because it includes the remains of the old furnace and sludge settling pond from the production plant and from the process of obtaining arsenic and mercury. The presence of these polluted elements also contaminates rainwater and water flowing through it through the remaining materials. The affected zone has a surface of 800 m2.

  • Action leader: EDERSA
  • Other beneficiaries in charge of the action: UNIOVI, R&R, GSERVICE, EDP

This action corresponds to the third and fourth pilot case (cases 3a and 3b). The pilot cases include the excavation and preparation of 9 filtering trenches, in the two selected locations: La Soterraña and El Terronal, with similar designs in both cases but for different conditions.

The aim is to demonstrate through two innovative pilot cases, the full-scale methodology, to verify results obtained in laboratory (in which it was found that leachate water with high contents of As and Hg circulating through these absorbing materials significantly reduces the level of contaminant elements, heavy metals).

Actions C: Monitoring of the impact of the project actions

A work of supervision and monitoring of the works will be carried out by the same technician who will coordinate the safety and health of the work.

  • Planning the work
  • Review of the bids received
  • Monitoring of work carried out
  • Control of staff assigned to each action
  • Provide solutions to problems that may arise in situ
  • Quality control work
  • Issuance of certificates work end
  • AS BUILT documentation

If this part of monitoring is important in all mining, industrial and civil works, it is worthy to remark the high As and Hg content measured in the site (especially in the former treatment plant), of thousands of ppm, to understand the importance of safety and occupational health prevention.

All workers must comply with guidelines and actions included in the general Study of safety and health and in their own company Security and Contingency Plan.

  • Confirmation that all workers include contracts and adequate/effective training and preparation from the point of view of safety.
  • Giving a daily talk to workers about the actions to take (required by law).
  • Checking that all zones are in safe conditions for the performance of work.
  • Checking the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

This action will prove, verify and demonstrate the proposed decontamination methodologies/technologies applied in the mine area, by efficiency analysis of the techniques (contamination levels in water and soil).

  • Site sampling
  • Analysis and laboratory testing
  • Proposal of improvements in pilot cases
  • Obtaining learnings from pilot case 1 and 3a to be implemented in case 2 and 3b, to prove the demonstration character of the project.
  • Obtaining learnings from the 4 pilot cases

This action will verify the life cycle and efficiency analysis of the waste materials (ashes and gypsum) and filtering/drainage materials used for implementation actions B1, B2 and B3. It is probably one of the key actions of the project.

  • Site sampling
  • Laboratory testing
  • Site verification of the materials
  • Efficiency study for further life cycle analysis (LCA)

This action is aimed at assessing a vast array of socio-economic impacts on the local economy and population at different scales.

  1. Assessing the impacts of project actions on the local economy.
  2. Assessing the impacts of project actions on the local population and other stakeholders.
  3. Performance of the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

Final monitoring action is mainly focused on other secondary environmental impact assessment, as defined by the Study of Environmental Impact.

  1. Monitoring the impact of the project on environment and the effects of treatments in habitats and water lixiviates quality.
  2. Monitoring of the effectiveness of contaminated soil phytoremediation techniques.
  3. Monitor and measure the performance indicators throughout the project implementation.

Actions D: Public awareness and dissemination of results

One of the main actions of a project funded under the LIFE Programme is the correct communication and dissemination of its results and the project itself. To achieve this, SUBproducts4LIFE has elaborated a Communication and Dissemination Plan that will be accomplished during the project implementation period.

SUBproducts4LIFE Communication and Dissemination Plan is available to download here.

This action is also included in the Communication and Dissemination Plan of SUBproducts4LIFE and includes the preparation of events and workshops, as well as communication through different means, all of a more specific nature than the D1 action.

Actions E: Project Management

  • Action leader: UNIOVI
  • Other beneficiaries in charge of the action: All Beneficiaries

The project has a specific action for its administrative and financial management to achieve a correct implementation. Each beneficiary role is defined by this action.

  • Action leader: R&R
  • Other beneficiaries in charge of the action: All Beneficiaries

Like the Action E1, the project also has a specific action for technical management and its monitoring.

This action puts an External Advisory Board to the consortium in contact with the project, so that they could provide their knowledge and important experiences for the correct implementation of the project.

Some actions created by the project will last more than the project itself. To control them, an After LIFE Plan will be elaborated to list all the tasks to perform after the project ends.

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