Assessment of existing water quality in the Tongue River, Wyoming, and effects of coal mining

Technical Report · Sun Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6290161

Dettmann, E H; Olsen, R D

This report discusses the results and conclusions of a comprehensive water quality investigation carried out during the period 1975 to 1978 to determine the existing and potential water quality impacts of coal mining along the Tongue River in Wyoming. The study included one-time-only water quality surveys throughout the Wyoming portion of the watershed to determine existing spatial trends in quality, and monthly monitoring of an extensive array of water quality parameters upstream and downstream of existing mining operations and in all mine discharges. Results of the study indicate that considerable variation in water quality exists within the watershed. Total dissolved solids and concentrations of most major ions increase with distance as the streams flow from the mountains and through the agricultural lowlands, with the greatest percentage changes occurring in reaches nearest the Bighorn mountains and downstream of mineralized tributaries. Water quality of mine discharges varied greatly, but some mine discharges were more highly mineralized than stream waters, particularly with respect to sodium and sulfate. Nitrogen concentrations in mine discharges were also consistently higher than in adjacent streams. Measurements and mass-balance calculations indicate that although concentrations of many inorganic constituents in mine discharges were generally much higher than in receiving streams, water quality impacts of existing mining operations along the Tongue River in Wyoming were below the level of analytical detection. 19 refs., 7 figs., 15 tabs.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6290161
• Report Number(s): ANL/ER-TM-85-1; ON: DE86005519
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
012000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Mining
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
COAL MINING
DATA
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION VIII
INFORMATION
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RIVERS
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
STREAMS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE MINING
SURFACE WATERS
USA
WATER QUALITY
WATERSHEDS
WYOMING