The former mining area of Argozelo has been the subject of two major environmental remediation operations, which consisted of the following main activities:

• Implementation of actions defined in the Technical Cooperation Protocol between the Ministry of Cities, Territorial Planning and Environment, Vimioso City Council and the former EXMIN, to be funded by the POA and the Environment Institute. These actions were reflected primarily in the preparation of engineering projects and the completion of the works themselves, integrated into a general remediation plan;
• Completion of a borehole for connecting the leachate collection tank to the Leitarães gallery;
• Construction of a basin for precipitation, making use of the entire length of the Leitarães gallery. The discharge is made through a spillway located at the mouth of the gallery;
• Construction of a limestone bed between the mouth of the gallery and the macrophyte pond to increase the pH and precipitation of the metals;
• Construction of an excavated macrophyte pond in the area of the waterproofed spoil heap. The supporting layer of the pond consists of Typhas and Juncus;
• Construction of a cascade between the pond spillway and the river;
• Installation of a mine water treatment plant (MWTP).

These two contracts were awarded to the consortium Jeremias de Macedo & Cia, Lda / MT3 – Engenharia e Obras, Lda (spoil heaps and heritage) and to MT3 – Engenharia e Obras, Lda. (MWTP), for the total amount of € 1,723,333.52 and a total duration of 270 days.

The investments made were co-financed by the Environment Operational Programme (POA) under the Third Community Support Framework, and allowed the environmental liabilities resulting from mining at this location to be resolved, bringing benefits to local populations through the improvement of current conditions and use of the areas reclaimed for other ends.

The environmental remediation works of this former mining area consisted of the following main activities:

• In situ forming of the spoil heap;
• Forming and stabilization of the pit slopes with construction of a safety platform;
• Creation of drainage systems;
• Creation of a humid zone;
• Landscaping and erection of fencing around the entire boundary of the area.

This contract was awarded to the consortium Tecnovia – Sociedade de Empreitadas, SA / LTO – Lavouras e Terraplenagens do Oeste, Lda. for € 350,234.74 and had a duration of 120 days.

The investments made were co-financed by the Environment Operational Programme (POA) under the Third Community Support Framework, and allowed the environmental liabilities resulting from mining at this location to be resolved, bringing benefits to local populations through the improvement of current conditions and use of the areas reclaimed for other ends.

Under the contract, the following main activities were carried out:

• Sealing of shafts and chimneys;
• Dismantling of old structures and buildings and eventual removal to the confined disposal site at Quinta do Bispo;
• Geotechnical consolidation of materials deposited in the former surface pit;
• Removal of the spoil heap (2,000 m³) and respective controlled disposal in the area of the former pit;
• Removal of other spoil heaps/existing former dumps (31,800 m³), respective controlled disposal and forming at local landfill area (former pit area) or transport to the confined disposal site at Quinta do Bispo;
• Sealing of the local landfill area (former pit area);
• Construction of drainage systems and rehabilitation of the landscape of the area.

This contract was awarded to the consortium Jeremias de Macedo & Cia / MT3 – Engenharia e Obras, Lda for € 1,844,715.73 (incl. VAT) and had a duration of 365 days.

The investment was co-financed by the Cohesion Fund and allowed the environmental liabilities resulting from mining at this location to be resolved, bringing benefits to local populations through the improvement of current conditions and use of the areas reclaimed for other ends.

This environmental remediation work consisted of two phases with the following main activities:

• Earthworks, reprofiling/forming of the entire intervention area;
• Construction of trenches around the spoil heaps to collect clean water from the Terramonte stream;
• Construction of ditches for drainage of the slope pit and dissipation;
• Surface treatment of formed spoil heaps, with the placement of a waterproofing complex, a protective layer for the dump, topsoil and landscaping;
• Installation of a wastewater monitoring and control system with continuous data processing.

The two contracts were awarded to Construtora Abrantina, S.A. for € 1,201,579.30 and had a total duration of 92 days.

The investment was co-financed by the Northern Regional Operational Programme under the Third Community Support Framework, enabling a reduction in the levels of contamination in the Terramonte and Castanheira streams and the Douro river, an increase in the safety and stability of embankments, improved water quality in the medium to long term and improvements in the local landscape.

The environmental remediation work on the former mining area of Vale d’Arca, included in that of Bica, Carrasca, Coitos and Pedreiros, consisted of the following main activities:

• Demolition and debris removal from the former buildings and lixiviation floors for confined disposal;
• Removal of spoil heaps to the confined disposal site;
• Cleaning and removal of contaminated surface materials to the confined disposal site;
• Capping and enclosure of mine shafts and galleries on the hillside;
• Forming of the area and landscaping.

This contract was awarded to Socopul – Sociedade de Construções e Obras SA / MT3 – Engenharia e Obras, Lda for € 2,194,775.53 and had a duration of 540 days.

The investment was co-financed by the Cohesion Fund and enabled sources of contamination of the soil to be eliminated through the removal of contaminated residues and the sealing of the mining structures, greatly improving the landscape of the valley, with a consequent increase in the quality of life of adjacent populations.

This environmental remediation work consisted of the following main activities:

• Demolition and removal of debris from old buildings and structures to spoil heap B;
• Removal of spoil heaps and material from cleaning areas to spoil heap B (local dump);
• Drainage and containment of the local dump;
• Forming and landscaping of areas subjected to removal of spoil heaps and drainage;
• Capping and enclosure of mine shafts, ditches and galleries resulting from the mining or prospection activities.

This contract was awarded to MT3 – Engenharia e Obras, Lda for € 463,897.71 and had a duration of 180 days.

The investment made was co-financed by the Operational Programme for Territorial Enhancement under the NSRF, and allowed the environmental liabilities resulting from mining at this location to be resolved, bringing benefits to local populations through the improvement of current conditions and use of the areas reclaimed for other ends.

The environmental remediation works of this former mining area consist of the following main activities:

• Cleaning and removal of materials from the mine, depositing them in a controlled manner at a suitable site in order to prevent their spread and protect the surrounding water environment;
• Construction of peripheral fencing, erection of appropriate signage and establishment of restrictions on use of the fenced off areas;
• Lining with layers of stable drainage ground, of a defined thickness, capable of preventing the scattering of the spoil heap deposits due to wind erosion and dislodging of sediment;
• Slope stabilization through surface forming of the landfills;
• Implementation of an internal perimeter surface drainage system;
• Landscaping of the area involving the adjustment of the modelling of the landfills to the morphology of the site and also the execution of herbaceous and tree and shrub cover using species compatible with the natural conditions and with the remaining environmental rehabilitation actions;
• Implementation of an environmental maintenance, monitoring and control plan.

This contract was awarded to Irmãos Almeida Cabral, Lda for € 454,450.98 and had a duration of 243 days.

The investments made were co-financed by the Thematic Operational Programme for Territorial Enhancement (POVT) under the NSRF, and allowed the environmental liabilities resulting from mining at this location to be resolved, bringing benefits to local populations through the improvement of current conditions and use of the areas reclaimed for other ends.

The environmental remediation work at the Freixiosa mining area consisted of the following main activities:

• Fencing off and clearing of the intervention areas (South and North);
• Demolition of existing structures (buildings and masonry structures);
• Removal of materials from the spoil heap and contaminated soil adjacent to the former mining area of Quinta do Bispo;
• Covering areas drained to variable thicknesses with sandy-silt soil, according to the cut-and-fill plan (North zone) and, in the south zone, in which radiometric values greater than 250 cps (counts per second) were identified in an average thickness of 0.50 m, ensuring the attenuation of the radiation to values less than 250 cps;
• Cleaning and adjustment of the water line downstream of the gallery, with transport of all materials to the former mining area of Quinta do Bispo;
• Execution of a water treatment system for water springs in the northern zone, near the recovered former open pit mine;
• Sealing of shafts;
• Landscape restoration, which consisted of the implementation of seeding/planting plans and signage (respectively promoting reductions in the erosive effect on the intervention areas, with their integration into the surrounding landscape, and maintenance of mining memory at the site).

This contract was awarded to Construtora Abrantina, SA for € 368,.995.82 and had a duration of 90 days.

The investments were co-financed by the Cohesion Fund and allowed the environmental liabilities resulting from mining at this location to be resolved, bringing benefits to local populations through the improvement of current conditions and use of the areas reclaimed for other ends.

The environmental remediation work on the former mining area of Cunha Baixa, which included Valdante, consisted of the following main activities:

• Preventing the water transfer that existed between open pit I and the underground part of the mine, promoting a decrease in the flow of contaminated influent from open pit I;
• Eliminating the potential for reactivity, significantly reducing radiometric levels and controlling the geochemical and hydrochemical dispersion associated with existing deposits, whether more enriched spoil heap materials or former treatment sludge;
• Decreasing the emission and consequent dispersion of radon gas into the atmosphere;
• Optimizing the structures and processes associated with the control and treatment of acid effluents;
• Guaranteeing the stability of the slopes of the bulkier spoil heap (E1);
• Controlling surface runoff around the entire perimeter of the mining area, in order to decrease phenomena of gullies and uncontrolled flows of rainwater into the area of the 4 existing open pits (I, II, III and IV);
• Improving the general safety conditions for people and animals;
• Integrating the landscape and ecology of the entire area directly affected by the mining activities, as well as the areas in the immediate vicinity;
• Treating the contaminated areas with agricultural land and;
• Promoting the downstream irrigation of areas for agricultural use with proper quality water.

This contract was awarded to Empreigalde – Engenharia e Construção, SA for € 4,611,523.66 and had a duration of 540 days.

The investment was co-financed by the Cohesion Fund and allowed the environmental liabilities resulting from mining at this location to be resolved, bringing benefits to local populations through the improvement of current conditions and use of the areas reclaimed for other ends.

The contract for the environmental remediation of the former mining area of Bica, which included the adjacent mining areas of Val d’Arca, Pedreiros, Carrasca and Coitos, consisted of the following main activities:

• Concentration and sealing of sources of pollution in chemical and radiological terms, reducing the presence and dispersion of the contaminants;
• Ensuring the safety and improving the quality of life of the population;
• Modelling of the land and drainage of the spoil heaps or their treatment with suitable soils, providing a reduction in the risk of contamination and allowing the development of vegetation;
• Repopulation of native flora and fauna;
• Restoration of watercourses previously affected and the restoration of the quality of the water that drains into those watercourses;
• Cleaning and treatment of contaminated areas, enabling the use of the soil under suitable conditions;
• Creating of separators and elements to deter contact with areas of risk in terms the endangerment of people and animals (shafts and/or the mine entrance and other points of contact with the galleries).

This contract was awarded to Socopul – Sociedade de Construções e Obras SA / MT3 – Engenharia e Obras, Lda for € 2,194,775.53 and had a duration of 540 days.

The investment was co-financed by the Cohesion Fund and allowed the proper treatment of mine waters that flow from the gallery of Master Shaft no 2, thereby reducing the radiometric levels and preventing the seepage of surface water into the spoil heap materials and subsequent hydraulic dispersion of contamination to adjacent areas.

The contract for the environmental remediation of the Vale Côvo mine formed part of the “Works in Ribeira da Pantanha and Final Sealing of the New Dam” (Urgeiriça – Phase 3).

The work carried out consisted of the following main activities:

• Clearing and preparation of temporary accesses to the spoil heap;
• Removal of materials from the spoil heap with a volume of 904 m³ and transport to the dump in the area of the New Dam;
• Drainage of the area adjacent to the spoil heap, to a maximum thickness of 0.60 m and transport of the resulting products (about 748 m³) to the dump at the New Dam;
• Removal of the remains of the foundations of the former building and transport to a suitable dump authorized to receive them;
• Sealing of existing shafts, through the construction of a reinforced concrete slab;
• Construction of fencing to demarcate the area of the shafts;
• Forming of the area affected, recovering the original morphology and restoration of the landscape using native species.

The contract for the 3rd Phase of Urgeiriça was awarded to the consortium Jeremias de Macedo & Cia, Lda / FR3E – Energy e Novas Oportunidades, Lda, for an amount of € 4,709,052.15 and had a duration of 450 days.

The investment made was co-financed by the Operational Programme for Territorial Enhancement under the NSRF, and allowed the environmental liabilities resulting from mining at this location to be resolved, bringing benefits to local populations through the improvement of current conditions and use of the areas reclaimed for other ends.

The environmental remediation works to be carried out in this mining area consist of the following main activities:

• Clearing of intervention areas and partial demolition of fences that may interfere with the normal development of the works, and which are deemed unnecessary in terms of occupational safety;
• Emptying of the mining pit through pumping and discharge into the water line;
• Preparation of the pit (stabilization of slopes and adjustment of the base) to receive contaminated materials;
• Removal of any debris inside the mining pit that is currently submerged;
• Treatment of existing materials within the mining area, through their transfer to a final disposal site. The final disposal site selected for the disposal of the existing spoil heap materials is the former open pit mine within the mining area;
• Execution of a provisional drainage system (stepped ditch on the ground) to prevent the leakage of radio-nuclides through rainwater;
• Final drainage of the dump area to protect the foot of the slope and the surface of the dump itself, taking into account surface runoff;
• Landscaping of affected areas, including the improvement of paths, implementation of a seeding and plantations plan with the use of native species and the substantiation of the signage plan.

This contract was awarded to Conduril – Engenharia, SA for € 1,321,018.77 and had a duration of 180 days.

The investment made was co-financed by the Operational Programme for Territorial Enhancement under the NSRF and enabled the achievement of a reduction in risks to safety, environmental and radiological risks, while simultaneously improving the surrounding landscape, as well as recovering areas that had been rendered unusable by the disposal of tailings associated with the mining operations, and which may now be used for other purposes.