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Bennett, J. W., Timms, G. P., & Ritchie, A. I. M. (1999). The effectiveness of the covers on waste rock dumps at Rum Jungle and the impact in the long term. Mining into the next century : environmental opportunities and challenges Proceedings of the 24th annual environmental workshop Townsville October, , 379–388.
Abstract: Covers are widely used as a means of controlling pollutant generation from sulfidic waste piles. To date, there has been little data available to test the effectiveness of such covers. Monitoring of two waste rock dumps at Rum Jungle over more than fifteen years has provided the opportunity to assess cover effectiveness in the medium term. For the first 9 years the infiltration rate through the cover on Whites dump was less than the design figure of 5 per cent of rainfall. In subsequent years, however, the rate has increased to between 5 and 10 per cent. In the first six years the infiltration rate through the cover on Intermediate dump was also less than 5 per cent. Unfortunately, further measurements had to be abandoned due to equipment malfunction in this dump. Oxygen and temperature profiles measured below the cover have been used to estimate the overall oxidation rate in the two dumps. This is between 30 and 50 per cent of the oxidation rate prior to installation of the cover. The effect these results have on pollutant loads in drainage in the long term depends on the nature of the control mechanisms in the system. If pollutant concentrations in drainage are determined by secondary mineralisation within the dumps then pollutant loads in the long term will be essentially proportional to any further increase in the infiltration rate. If the pollutant loads in drainage are largely determined by the overall oxidation rates then we can expect the pollutant loads from the two dumps to increase in the long term to a level about one third to one half of that prior to rehabilitation. In this context, 'long term' means about 40 years after installation of the cover system. Given the implications this work has for the use of soil covers, the following additional studies should be undertaken: A measurement program to quantify the pollution loads from Intermediate and Whites waste rock dumps. A program of computation, backed by acquisition of mineralogical data on the wastes, to address the question of controls on concentration and load in effluent from the two dumps. A program to determine the reason for the deteriorating performance of the covers at Rum Jungle.
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Bennett, J. W., & Lawton, M. D. (1995). Assessment of the Rum Jungle strategy for acid mine drainage control. Bewertung der Sanierungsstrategie von Rum Jungle zur Beherrschung des Problems der Freisetzung saurer Grubenwässer. In Second Australian Acid Mine Drainage Workshop, Charters Towers, AU, 28 31 March 1995 (pp. 179–190).
Abstract: Das 1971 stillgelegte Uran- und Kupferbergwerk Rum Jungle kontaminierte durch aus dem Bergbau, der Aufbereitung und der Haufenlaugung resultierende saure Grubenwässer das Grundwasser und die Vorfluter. Die von 1983 bis 1986 durchgeführten Sanierungsarbeiten werden ausführlich unter Angabe der zeitlichen Veränderung der Meßwerte für den Schadstoffaustrag beschrieben. Das anschließend (bis 1993) realisierte Monitoringprogramm (mit staatlich gestützten Forschungsaktivitäten) zeigte, daß die Sanierung erfolgreich abgeschlossen worden war und alle Anforderungen erfüllte. Gegenwärtig ist ein neues Forschungsprogramm für weitere 5 Jahre angelaufen, bei dem es vorrangig darum geht, eine Quantifizierung der Schadstoffgenerierungsmengen und der Schadstoffbelastung zu erreichen sowie die Transportmechanismen zu untersuchen.
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