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CHARACTERIZATION OF MINE LEACHATES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GROUNDWATER MONITORING STRATEGY FOR MINE SITES
Citation:
Plumb, R. H. CHARACTERIZATION OF MINE LEACHATES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GROUNDWATER MONITORING STRATEGY FOR MINE SITES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-99/007, 1999.
Impact/Purpose:
Research is being conducted to improve and evaluate the resolution of the CR, EM, seismic, and GPR methods over complex geological formations (such as fractured geologies) and to evaluate the capability of these geophysical methods to delineate subsurface organic contaminants.
Description:
The total number of mining sites, both active and inactive, in the United States has been estimated to be as high as 82,000. Approximately 80 percent of the current mining activity in this country is associated with the recovery of gold and copper. The quantity of mine wastes produced in the United States is enormous. When the Resource Conservation, and Recovery Act program was initiated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the emphasis was placed on developing approaches to classifying wastes, at that time, seventeen industries including mining were originally exempted from RCRA monitoring requirements because the wastes were generated in large quantity and were considered to have low toxicity. Subsequently, the Agency determined that most mining waste may pose an unacceptable environmental risk if they are not properly managed. This decision raised the issue of how to properly monitor the environmental effects of mine waste disposal: (1) the composition and environmental behavior of mine waste leachates is poorly understood; (2) the problem of how to effectively sample the large areas covered by tailings ponds, that may range in size from hundreds to thousands of acres, has never been addressed, and (3) the parameters that should be monitored in ground water and surface water adjacent to mine waste disposal sites to detect fugitive mine waste leachate have not been selected and evaluated.
In order to address these points, a research project was initiated to identify appropriate parameters to reliably monitor mine waste leachates. The approach that was used during this study was to access, compile, and analyze reports and data that have been submitted to state regulatory agencies as part of routine, on-going monitoring programs at mining facilities throughout the southwestern United States. This effort focused on cyanide heap leaching facilities in Nevada and copper mines in Arizona. This effort focused on routine regulatory monitoring data, which was previously used to characterize ground water contamination in the vicinity of waste disposal sites. was selected for several reasons. It is anticipated that these results will provide the improved technical guidance necessary to establish effective monitoring programs at mining sites.