Groundwater report, Iowa Coal Project Demonstration Mine No. 1

Technical Report · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5255257· OSTI ID:5255257

Sendlein, L V.A.; Stangl, D W

An extensive groundwater monitoring system was placed on an active coal stripmining and reclamation site, the Iowa Coal Project Demonstration Mine Number One, located ten miles southwest of Oskaloosa, Iowa. Twenty-nine groundwater sampling tubes or piezometers were installed at various depths to measure groundwater level fluctuations and to monitor groundwater chemical changes. Chemical analyses include pH, specific conductance, chloride, alkalinity, sulfate, nitrate-nitrogen, total and ferrous iron, chemical oxygen demand, total hardness, calcium hardness, and manganese. Chemical analyses, temperature, and water depth measurements were conducted on a monthly basis to identify possible increased sulfate, hardness, alkalinity, cation concentrations, and the effects of an ''acid'' water plume, possibly generated by mining methods used on the site. Water level data also was used to indicate the extent of dewatering of ''aquifers'' near active mining cuts, and to detect the rate of return of groundwater into the reclaimed portions of the mine. Findings show that water table lowering outside the active mining area is confined to the north hill area in the coals and sands and gravel; no significant acid plume has been generated after a year and one half of mining; and groundwater recharge to reclaimed mine cuts is slow.

• Research Organization: Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames (USA). Energy and Mineral Resources Research Inst.
• OSTI ID: 5255257
• Report Number(s): IS-ICP-58
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
510500 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (-1989)
520200 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COAL MINING
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
GROUND WATER
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IOWA
IRON
LAND RECLAMATION
LEVEL INDICATORS
MANGANESE
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METALS
MINING
MONITORING
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE MINING
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
USA
WATER