| Records |
| Author |
Niyogi, D.K.; McKnight, D.M.; Lewis, W.M., Jr.; Kimball, B.A. |
| Title |
Experimental diversion of acid mine drainage and the effects on a headwater stream |
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Journal Article |
| Year |
1999 |
Publication |
Water-Resources Investigations Report |
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| Volume |
Wri 99-4018-A |
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Pages |
123-130 |
Keywords  |
abandoned mines acid mine drainage algae benthonic taxa biomass biota Colorado experimental studies heavy metals Lake County Colorado Leadville Colorado metals mines pH Plantae pollution remediation Saint Kevin Gulch Colorado tracers United States USGS water zinc |
| Abstract |
An experimental diversion of acid mine drainage was set up near an abandoned mine in Saint Kevin Gulch, Colorado. A mass-balance approach using natural tracers was used to estimate flows into Saint Kevin Gulch. The diversion system collected about 85 percent of the mine water during its first year of operation (1994). In the first 2 months after the diversion, benthic algae in an experimental reach (stream reach around which mine drainage was diverted) became more abundant as water quality improved (increase in pH, decrease in zinc concentrations) and substrate quality changed (decrease in rate of metal hydroxide deposition). Further increases in pH to levels above 4.6, however, led to lower algal biomass in subsequent years (1995-97). An increase in deposition of aluminum precipitates at pH greater than 4.6 may account for the suppression of algal biomass. The pH in the experimental reach was lower in 1998 and algal biomass increased. Mine drainage presents a complex, interactive set of stresses on stream ecosystems. These interactions need to be considered in remediation goals and plans. |
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0092-332x |
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| Notes |
Experimental diversion of acid mine drainage and the effects on a headwater stream; 2; GeoRef: 2001-017199 als Datei vorhanden 4 Abb.; VORHANDEN | AMD ISI | Wolkersdorfer |
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no |
| Call Number |
CBU @ c.wolke @ 17398 |
Serial |
286 |
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Davies, G.J.; Holmes, M.; Wireman, M.; King, K.; Gertson, J.N.; Stefanic, J.M. |
| Title |
Water tracing at scales of hours to decades as an aid to estimating hydraulic characteristics of the Leadville Mine drainage tunnel |
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Journal Article |
| Year |
2001 |
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acid mine drainage Arkansas River Colorado drainage dye tracers field studies fluorescence ground water Lake County Colorado Leadville Mine Leadville mining district pH quantitative analysis recharge surveys tunnels United States water treatment 30 Engineering geology 21 Hydrogeology |
| Abstract |
The Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel (LMDT) is a 3.3 kilometer structure that was constructed in the complicated geology of the Leadville mine district in the 1940's. Discharge from the LMDT is impacted by heavy metals and is treated at a plant built in 1992 operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. On the surface waste rock and other remnants of the mining operations litter the landscape and this material is exposed to precipitation. As a result of contact with this material, surface water often has pH of less than 3 and its containment and disposal is necessary before it impacts surface drainage and the nearby Arkansas River. Using a borehole drilled into the mine workings the U.S. EPA has devised a plan in which the impacted water is contained on the surface which then can be discharged into the mine workings to discharge from the LMDT and be treated. The percentage of water discharging from the mining district along the drainage tunnel is unknown, and since there is no access, information about the condition of the tunnel with regards to blockages is also relatively obscure. Application of quantitative water tracing using fluorescent dyes was used to model the flow parameters at the scale of hours in the tunnel and evaluate the likelihood of blockages. Because the tunnel has intersected several lithologies and faults, other locations such as discharging shafts, adits and surface streams that could be hydraulically connected to the LMDT were also monitored. An initial tracer experiment was done using an instantaneous injection, which was followed by additional injections of water. Another tracer injection was done when there was a continuous flow of impacted water into the workings. Analysis of the tracer concentration responses at water-filled shafts and at the portal were used to model the flow along the tunnel and estimate several hydraulic parameters. Waters in these settings are mixtures of components with different residence times, so, qualitative tritium data were used to evaluate residence times of decades. The combined injected tracer and tritium data as well as other geochemical data were used to infer the nature of flow and recharge into the tunnel. |
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Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America |
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Geological Society of America, 2001 annual meeting |
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2004-013418; Geological Society of America, 2001 annual meeting, Boston, MA, United States, Nov. 1-10, 2001; GeoRef; English |
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no |
| Call Number |
CBU @ c.wolke @ 16511 |
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408 |
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Ketellapper, V.L.; Williams, L.O.; Bell, R.S.; Cramer, M.H. |
| Title |
The control of acid mine drainage at the Summitville Mine Superfund Site |
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Book Chapter |
| Year |
1996 |
Publication |
Proceedings of the Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Environmental and Engineering Problems (SAGEEP), vol.1996 |
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Pages |
303-311 |
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acid mine drainage Colorado Del Norte Colorado gold ores metal ores mines mining mining geology open-pit mining pollutants pollution remediation Rio Grande County Colorado Summitville Mine Superfund sites surface mining United States water quality 22, Environmental geology |
| Abstract |
The Summitville Mine Superfund Site is located about 25 miles south of Del Norte, Colorado, in Rio Grande County. Occurring at an average elevation of 11,500 feet in the San Juan Mountain Range, the mine site is located two miles east of the Continental Divide. Mining at Summitville has occurred since 1870. The mine was most recently operated by Summitville Consolidated Mining Company, Inc. (SCMCI) as an open pit gold mine with extraction by means of a cyanide leaching process. In December of 1992, SCMCI declared bankruptcy and vacated the mine site. At that time, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took over operations of the water treatment facilities to prevent a catastrophic release of cyanide and metal-laden water from the mine site. Due to high operational costs of water treatment (approximately $50,000 per day), EPA established a goal to minimize active water treatment by reducing or eliminating acid mine drainage (AMD). All of the sources of AMD generation on the mine site were evaluated and prioritized. Of the twelve areas identified as sources of AMD, the Cropsy Waste Pile, the Summitville Dam Impoundment, the Beaver Mud Dump, the Reynolds and Chandler adits, and the Mine Pits were consider to be the most significant contributors to the generation of metal-laden acidic (low pH) water. A two part plan was developed to control AMD from the most significant sources. The first part was initiated immediately to control AMD being released from the Site. This part focused on improving the efficiency of the water treatment facilities and controlling the AMD discharges from the mine drainage adits. The discharges from the adits was accomplished by plugging the Reynolds and Chandler adits. The second part of the plan was aimed at reducing the AMD generated in groundwater and surface water runoff from the mine wastes. A lined and capped repository located in the mine pits for acid generating mining waste and water treatment plant sludge was found to be the most feasible alternative. Beginning in 1993, mining wastes which were the most significant sources of AMD were being excavated and placed in the Mine Pits. In November 1995, all of the waste from these sources had been excavated and placed in the the Mine Pits. This paper discusses EPA's overall approach to stabilize on-site sources sufficiently such that aquatic, agricultural, and drinking water uses in the Alamosa watershed are restored and/or maintained with minimal water treatment. |
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The control of acid mine drainage at the Summitville Mine Superfund Site; GeoRef; English; 2002-027195; Symposium on the Application of geophysics to engineering and environmental problems, Keystone, CO, United States, April 28-May 2, 1996 References: 11; illus. incl. geol. sketch map |
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| Call Number |
CBU @ c.wolke @ 16654 |
Serial |
334 |
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| Author |
Hazen, J.M. |
| Title |
Acid mine drainage characterization and remediation using a combination of hydrometric measurements, isotopes and dissolved solutes |
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Book Whole |
| Year |
2000 |
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Acid mine drainage Metals Environmental aspects Water quality Colorado Measurement |
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Ph.D. thesis |
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University of Colorado, |
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Acid mine drainage characterization and remediation using a combination of hydrometric measurements, isotopes and dissolved solutes; Opac |
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no |
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CBU @ c.wolke @ 7243 |
Serial |
357 |
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| Author |
King, T.V.V. |
| Title |
Environmental considerations of active and abandoned mine lands: lessons from Summitville, Colorado |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
1995 |
Publication |
US Geological Survey Bulletin |
Abbreviated Journal |
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| Volume |
2220 |
Issue |
38 |
Pages |
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| Keywords |
acid mine drainage mining environmental effect remediation environmental assessment USA Colorado Summitville 1 Geography |
| Abstract |
Extreme acid-rock drainage is the dominant long-term environmental concern at the Summitville mine and could have been predicted given the geological characteristics of the deposit. Extensive remedial efforts are required to isolate both unweathered sulfides and soluble metal salts in the open-pit area and mine-waste piles from weathering and dissolution. Results of studies as of late 1993 indicate that mining at Summitville has had no discernible short-term adverse effects on barley or alfalfa crops irrigated with Alamosa River water. Remediation of the site will help to ensure that no adverse effects occur over the longer term. -from Editor |
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Environmental considerations of active and abandoned mine lands: lessons from Summitville, Colorado; (1119406); 95j-11521; Using Smart Source Parsing pp; Geobase |
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CBU @ c.wolke @ 17561 |
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332 |
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