Water quality in an abandoned gold mining belt, Beatrice, Sanyati Valley, Zimbabwe

Chemical results obtained show that the surface water is slightly contaminated with respect to Pb, Zn and Ni. Such contamination is attributed to the mine dumps. However, the near-neutral pH and only slight contamination show that the impact on water quality of the Beatrice mines is largely localised probably due to likely low run-off volumes from the mining sites compared to the rest of the catchment. The slight contamination could also indicate that acid mine drainage is proceeding at a slow rate or the fact that it is in its initial stages. Long term environmental management should therefore focus on controlling the localised impact of the old mines as well as controlling the acid drainage.