Evaluación de la calidad ambiental de la explotación de materiales áridos y pétreos de la concesión minera “Miraflores de Guano

Abstract

The aim of the current research was to evaluate the Environmental Quality of arid and stone materials exploitation at “Miraflores de Guano” Mining Concession, located in San Andrés rural parish, Chimborazo province. A baseline to identify the environmental components (biotic, abiotic and socioeconomic) was established and for identifying the impacts; a field trip to the facilities was carried out in order to prepare a photographic record as well as interviews for the personnel. For the project implementation it was necessary to look for bibliography on web pages, Territorial Ordering Plan of San Andrés rural parish and projects related. In addition, ArcMap 10.5 and AutoCAD software as well as Google Earth applications were used to determine the coordinates and sampling points. For the valuation of the Environmental Impacts, Conesa Fernández (1995) and Leopold Matrix were used. These perform an interaction and cause-effect evaluation of the environmental components and the phases that are carried out in the mining concession. A total of 419 interactions were obtained in the extraction, grinding, distribution and closure phases; from which, 57 are positive and 187 negative; the minor impacts reflected a greater relevance of 44.0%, moderate impacts 20.50%, critical impacts 4.50% and severe impacts 2.50%. The physicochemical analysis of water, soil, air emissions and noise was carried out. On the other hand, it was determined that the Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) as well as Oils and Fats exceed the permissible limits established by the TULSMA legislation for water and soil, while the extraction area evidenced higher sound pressure level, as well as higher concentration of CO and NO2. The personnel in charge of the concession are recommended to fulfill the current regulations in order to avoid contamination problems, in addition to be part of the proposed Environmental Management Plan (EMP).