Settling ponds, also known as holding ponds, are locations where contaminated water is allowed to stand so that particulates suspended in the water settle to the bottom of the pond. The water then evaporates or is drawn off, leaving behind the unwanted sediment, which can be from a mine, a quarry, a manure pit at an animal facility, industrial wastewater, stormwater, or other sources.
Go to www.technology.infomine.com/sedimentponds to see an overview of some of the concerns about building and maintaining a settling pond for surface mines.
Evaluate the authors of the article and work with the information to answer the following questions:
Do an Internet search and read two or three news articles about the toxic sludge spill near Kolontár, Hungary.
What is the most recent article you can find about this, and what does it say about the incident?
How similar is the information in the articles?
Do the authors give any sources cited for the “facts” presented?
Now do an Internet search using Google Scholar or another scholarly database. Select a peer-reviewed article that you can access in its entirety (not just the abstract; look for a PDF link). Read the article and summarize its purpose and main points.
How does this article compare to the news articles you read? Compare and contrast the types of information regarding scope of coverage, intended audience, clarity of information, and reliability of information (whether reliable sources are cited).
In general, when would you go to a news source for information on a topic like this, and when would you go to a scholarly source?
What could be done to prevent another incident like what happened at Kolontár from happening again?
Find an additional case study online at http://www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpad/saes2e