ISSN:
1573-2932
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering
Notes:
Abstract Measurements have been made of rainfall, runoff and pollution levels in runoff, on a waste rock dump in which soluble salts are produced by pyritic oxidation. The dump is overburden material from the opencut mining of White's uranium orebody at Rum Jungle in the Northern Territory of Australia where there is a pronounced wet/dry season cycle. Most of the data were collected in the 1975-76 and 1976-77 wet seasons with some from the 1977-78 wet season. Events monitored in the first two wet seasons accounted for about half the rainfall in each. The runoff fraction, which averaged 15.6% over the two seasons, ranged up to a maximum of 33 %. Calculations of the runoff fraction using measured sorptivities and hydraulic conductivities predicted an even lower runoff fraction than that observed. The SO4 concentrations in runoff varied in a well defined way throughout the discharge events and showed no significant dependence on the history of rainfall on the dump. The average SO4 level in runoff was 0.84 kg m−3; Cu, Zn, Mn levels were respectively 1.0, 0.15, and 0.09% of the SO4 levels. The annual Cu load in runoff was estimated to be 0.4 t which is much smaller than the estimated release of 39 to 53 t in water seeping through the dump.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00211802
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