Finnish transboundary water cooperation Operational water balance model

Finnish transboundary water cooperation Operational water balance model for mines Why? • • All countries in the river basin benefit Protect water environment as equally as possible Prevent floods and droughts Common adaptation to climate change Finnish Environment Institue provides services to all transboundary water commissions in Finland

Operational water balance model for mines: aims and benefits ● Provides real time simulations and forecasts: • • Water level, discharge Ground water Water balance components Transport of marker substances ● Improves awareness of actual quantities of water and water balances ● Gives possibility to forecast water masses in future ● Promotes the anticipation and management of the amounts of water ● Is an interactive tool to improve cooperation between companies, consultants and authorities ● Decision support and risk management tool ○ Establishment, operation, closure 2

Schematic overview of the system

Example: Yara mining area Lake / reservoir water levels and outflow discharges

Interactive operation: www-interface ○ Viewing results ○ Operating the system ○ Simulation automatically

Example: Tracing transport of substances Simulation of a hypothetical 1 ton of Nickel discharged on the 09/11/2014 into the freshwater ecosystem from Talvivaara mine

Modelling other mining areas Forecasts for mines extracted from normal daily forecasts for specified areas ● Talvivaara/Terrafame nickel mine in Sotkamo Agnico ● Eagle Finland Gold mine in Kittilä