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Anonymous. (1998). Remediation of historical mine sites; technical summaries and bibliography. Littleton: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.
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Ketellapper, V. L., Williams, L. O., Bell, R. S., & Cramer, M. H. (1996). The control of acid mine drainage at the Summitville Mine Superfund Site. In Proceedings of the Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Environmental and Engineering Problems (SAGEEP), vol.1996 (pp. 303–311).
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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Nairn, R. W., Griffin, B. C., Strong, J. D., & Hatley, E. L. (2001). Remediation challenges and opportunities at the Tar Creek Superfund Site, Oklahoma. In R. Vincent, J. A. Burger, G. G. Marino, G. A. Olyphant, S. C. Wessman, R. G. Darmody, et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of the Annual National Meeting – American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation, vol.18 (pp. 579–584).
Abstract: The Tar Creek Superfund Site is a portion of the abandoned lead and zinc mining area known as the Tri-State Mining District (OK, KS and MO) and includes over 100 square kilometers of disturbed land surface and contaminated water resources in extreme northeastern Oklahoma. Underground mining from the 1890s through the 1960s degraded over 1000 surface hectares, and left nearly 50 km of tunnels, 165 million tons of processed mine waste materials (chat), 300 hectares of tailings impoundments and over 2600 open shafts and boreholes. Approximately 94 million cubic meters of contaminated water currently exist in underground voids. In 1979, metal-rich waters began to discharge into surface waters from natural springs, bore holes and mine shafts. Six communities are located within the boundaries of the Superfund site. Approximately 70% of the site is Native American owned. Subsidence and surface collapse hazards are of significant concern. The Tar Creek site was listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983 and currently receives a Hazard Ranking System score of 58.15, making Tar Creek the nation's number one NPL site. A 1993 Indian Health Service study demonstrated that 35% of children had blood lead levels above thresholds dangerous to human health. Recent remediation efforts have focused on excavation and replacement of contaminated residential areas. In January 2000, Governor Frank Keating's Tar Creek Task Force was created to take a “vital leadership role in identifying solutions and resources available to address” the myriad environmental problems. The principle final recommendation was the creation of a massive wetland and wildlife refuge to ecologically address health, safety, environmental, and aesthetic concerns. Additional interim measures included continuing the Task Force and subcommittees; study of mine drainage discharge and chat quality; construction of pilot treatment wetlands; mine shaft plugging; investigations of bioaccumulation issues; establishment of an authority to market and export chat, a local steering committee, and a GIS committee; and development of effective federal, state, tribal, and local partnerships.
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Neukirchner, R. J., Lord, G. G., & Nelson, J. D. (1998). Covering of soft mine tailings.
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