Fate and transport of metals in a natural wetland receiving mine drainage
Conference
·
OSTI ID:20026844
The Forest Queen Wetland, adjacent to the Animas River near Silverton, Colorado receives acid mine drainage from the adit of the Forest Queen Mine. Because the pH of the mine drainage averages between 3 and 5 and the iron concentration averages 18 mg/L, it was thought that the wetland would naturally treat the water. One of the important contaminants to be treated is zinc which averages 0.60 mg/L in the adit water, while the aquatic criterion is 0.50 mg/L. In the study that was undertaken to determine whether metal removal was occurring, considerable effort was made to link the water and soil chemistry with the wetland hydrology. there are at least two water systems influencing the wetland; the mine drainage across the surface and ground water from the adjacent slope that typically grows under the wetland. These two are, for the most part, separated from each other by a layer of peat that is of low hydraulic conductivity and is over 1.8 meters deep in places. Because of the separated hydrologic systems, the Fe and Al is removed from the adit effluent when it flows across the surface. However, because the pH does not exceed 6.5 for the most part, Zn is not removed.
- Research Organization:
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 20026844
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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