Grantee Research Project Results

2002 Progress Report: Fate and Transport of Metals and Sediment in Surface Water

EPA Grant Number: R829515C002
Subproject: this is subproject number 002 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R829515
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: HSRC (1989) - Great Plains/Rocky Mountain HSRC
Center Director: Erickson, Larry E.
Title: Fate and Transport of Metals and Sediment in Surface Water
Investigators: Julien, Pierre , Bledsoe, Brian P. , Watson, Chester , Stein, Otto
Institution: Colorado State University , Montana State University - Bozeman
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: November 1, 2001 through October 31, 2003
Project Period Covered by this Report: November 1, 2001 through October 31, 2002
Project Amount: Refer to main center abstract for funding details.
RFA: Hazardous Substance Research Centers - HSRC (2001) Recipients Lists
Research Category: Hazardous Waste/Remediation , Land and Waste Management

Objective:

This research project focuses on surface water and sediment transport, with an emphasis on the fate and transport of metals in rivers from mining waste sites. The main objectives of this two-year project are to: (1) develop a methodology for evaluating impacts from sediment and metals on watersheds; and (2) improve and develop computer modeling tools for the simulation of erosion and sedimentation of sediment and metals in surface waters. The ultimate goal of our research is to improve our mechanistic understanding of the interaction between heavy metals and fine sediment.

Progress Summary:

The accomplishments of this research project consist of:

• Site visits were conducted on June 11, 2002. Soil samples were taken at contaminated sites.
Pictures also were taken during the site visits.

• Site visit on September 19, 2002. Stanley Christensen and Michael Holmes, both from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA) Region 8, were accompanied by Pierre Julien and graduate assistants. More pictures were taken of the contaminated sites. Contact with Karmen King at the Colorado Mountain College was established for future collaborations.

• Data were collected.

• Various reports of the remediation projects carried out at the California Gulch operable units 4 and 6 were obtained during a visit to EPA Region 8 in Denver.

• AVIRIS data were collected from Sam Vance and Greg Swayze during a visit to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Denver Federal Center. Additional data are to be collected from Sam Vance at the EPA in Denver.

• USGS orthophotos were downloaded at 1-m resolution from the Terraserver Web site.

• GIS raster data. Digital elevation model (DEM) and land use grids have been obtained at 30-m resolution.

• GIS line and polygon coverages were obtained for California Gulch basin boundary and channel network (hydrography) at a scale of 1:100,000. Roads and streets have been obtained at a scale of 1:24,000. Soils information from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) database is at a scale of 1:250,000.

• Runoff data for the 2002 rainfall events have been obtained from Stanley Christensen and Karmen King.

Future Activities:

The planned future activities for this research are to: (1) collect data on hydrography and soil type at finer resolutions; (2) obtain DEM pre-processing, watershed, and channel network delimitation for input into the CASC2D-SED model (the model will be run for the 100-year, 24-hour, and 2-hour storms); and (3) evaluate the AVIRIS raster data to determine how to derive pH and metal contents.

Supplemental Keywords:

surface water, sediment transport, fate and transport, metals, mining wastes, fine sediment, modeling, remediation, acid mine drainage, acid mine runoff, aquatic ecosystems, computer modeling, contaminant transport, contaminated marine sediment, contaminated sites, contaminated waste sites, field monitoring, groundwater, heavy metal contamination, heavy metals, leaching of toxic metals, metal release, metal wastes, metals, metals-contaminated soil, mining, mining impacted watershed, remediation technologies, risk assessment, runoff, stream ecosystems., RFA, Industry Sectors, Scientific Discipline, Waste, Contaminated Sediments, Remediation, Mining - NAIC 21, Hazardous Waste, Ecology and Ecosystems, Ecological Risk Assessment, Environmental Engineering, Hazardous, risk assessment, contaminant transport, contaminated waste sites, contaminated marine sediment, contaminated sites, acid mine drainage, remediation technologies, runoff, sediment transport, stream ecosystems, metal release, computer modeling, field monitoring, mining, leaching of toxic metals, metals-contaminated soil, treatment, aquatic ecosystems, metal wastes, heavy metal contamination, heavy metals, mining wastes, metals, groundwater, acid mine runoff

Relevant Websites:

http://www.engr.colostate.edu/hsrc/ Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

Final

Main Center Abstract and Reports:

R829515    HSRC (1989) - Great Plains/Rocky Mountain HSRC

Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R829515C001 Redox Transformations, Complexation and Soil/Sediment Interactions of Inorganic Forms of As and Se in Aquatic Environments: Effects of Natural Organic Matter
R829515C002 Fate and Transport of Metals and Sediment in Surface Water
R829515C003 Metal Removal Capabilities of Passive Bioreactor Systems: Effects of Organic Matter and Microbial Population Dynamics
R829515C004 Evaluating Recovery of Stream Ecosystems from Mining Pollution: Integrating Biochemical, Population, Community and Ecosystem Indicators
R829515C005 Rocky Mountain Regional Hazardous Substance Research Center Training and Technology Transfer Program
R829515C006 Technical Outreach Services for Communities and Technical Assistance to Brownfields
R829515C007 Evaluation of Hydrologic Models for Alternative Covers at Mine Waste Sites
R829515C008 Microbial Reduction of Uranium in Mine Leachate by Fermentative and Iron-Reducing Bacteria
R829515C009 Development and Characterization of Microbial Inocula for High-Performance Passive Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage
R829515C010 Reactive Transport Modeling of Metal Removal From Anaerobic Biozones
R829515C011 Assessment of Electrokinetic Injection of Amendments for Remediation of Acid Mine Drainage
R829515C012 Metal Toxicity Thresholds for Important Reclamation Plant Species of the Rocky Mountains
R829515C013 An Improved Method for Establishing Water Quality Criteria for Mining Impacted Streams