Abstract

In the mining-metallurgical region of Santa Lucia, the previous studies on the analysis of the impacts of the extractive activity and the associated technological processes have not made an approach to the accumulated environmental liabilities through the use of management instruments. New theoretical references are proposed in the classification of inventories of Environmental Liabilities (EL) associated with the mining-metallurgical activity and its support activities. The Geographic Information System (GIS) is used as a tool from a spatial data infrastructure platform (IDE) with support in ArcGIS from a Database Management System (DBMS). In the research, theoretical methods were used, such as historical-logical analysis, the systemic approach and analysis and synthesis. As empirical methods, documentary analysis was used and the most up-to-date conceptual and legal references on the subject are exposed, with emphasis on the Latin American and Caribbean region. For the survey of the EL, the method of geological itineraries is used in three sectors of the study region. An inventory of 62 Environmental Liabilities (EL) is reported, broken down into 16 mining, 31 chemical, seven sanitary, five technological, and three agroforestry liabilities. Through a GIS developed for the environmental liabilities of the study region, it allows effective management in pursuit of the mitigation of the negative impacts generated to exposed ecosystems, based on the analysis of geology, hydrogeology, tectonics and the model of digital elevation of the terrain.

Keywords: Mining; Metallurgical; Environmental liabilities; Hydrography; Inventory; Ecosystems