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THE EPA/DOE MINE WASTE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
Citation:
Bless*, D R. THE EPA/DOE MINE WASTE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM. Presented at SETC 22nd Annual Meeting in North America, Baltimore, MD, 11/11-15/2001.
Description:
Mining activities in the US (not counting coal) produce between 1-2B tons of mine waste annually. Since many of the ore mines involve sulfide minerals, the production of acid mine drainage (AMD) is a common problem from these abandoned mine sites. The combination of acidity, heavy metals, and sediment have severe detrimental environmental impacts on the delicate ecosystems in the west. The concept of pollution prevention, emphasizing at-source control and resource recovery, is the approach of choice for the long-term solution. This congressionally mandated Mine Waste Technology program emphasizes the development and demonstration of treatment technologies that provide satisfactory short- and long-term solutions to the remedial problems facinb abandoned mines and the ongoing compliance problems associated with active mines, not only in the west but throughout the US. The Mine Waste Technology Program is an interagency agreement with the DOE and has partnerships with universities, Forest Service, BLM, industry, and states. Projects covered under the MWTP include grouting; insitu bioreactors, mine sealing; treatment options for arsenic, cyanide, mercury, nitrate, selenium, and remote site neutralization; and capping/revegation. The program is based out of Butte, MT where MSE-Technology Applications performs the technology demonstrations while Montana Tech does the basic research.