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Reclamation plans for abandoned mill tailing impoundments in the South Fork Coeur d'Alene River Basin Item Info

Water pollution resulting from nearly a hundred years of continuous mining activity along the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River continues to be a problem. Although recent efforts by local mining companies and government agencies have greatly reduced contaminant levels in streams throughout the valley, a perennial source of ''background'' pollution remains which is not associated with currently active mining operations. This report presents the results of a study of potential water quality problems from abandoned flotation tailing impoundments and offers specific reclamation plans designed to minimize water quality degradation. A summary of current reclamation technology is presented, followed by field studies of three abandoned impoundment sites. An inventory of all abandoned tailing impoundments in the South Fork basin was conducted. Based on the field studies and inventory of all sites, a number of factors important in site abandonment were identified and categorized as either physical, chemical, or esthetic. Classification of each site with respect to the identified factors was then possible. A general reclamation plan was drafted which deals with each of the identified factors important in site abandonment. Application of the general reclamation plan to each of the sites listed in the abandoned impoundment inventory ends the report. It is concluded that the major problems posed by the abandoned tailing impoundments are physical rather than chemical. Movement of fine-grained tailing material directly into the surface streams appears to be a more serious problem than chemical leaching of heavy metal ions from the abandoned tailing impoundments into ground water flow systems.

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Title:
Reclamation plans for abandoned mill tailing impoundments in the South Fork Coeur d'Alene River Basin
Authors:
Gross, Michael Robert
Date Created (ISO Standard):
1982-04
Description:
Water pollution resulting from nearly a hundred years of continuous mining activity along the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River continues to be a problem. Although recent efforts by local mining companies and government agencies have greatly reduced contaminant levels in streams throughout the valley, a perennial source of ''background'' pollution remains which is not associated with currently active mining operations. This report presents the results of a study of potential water quality problems from abandoned flotation tailing impoundments and offers specific reclamation plans designed to minimize water quality degradation. A summary of current reclamation technology is presented, followed by field studies of three abandoned impoundment sites. An inventory of all abandoned tailing impoundments in the South Fork basin was conducted. Based on the field studies and inventory of all sites, a number of factors important in site abandonment were identified and categorized as either physical, chemical, or esthetic. Classification of each site with respect to the identified factors was then possible. A general reclamation plan was drafted which deals with each of the identified factors important in site abandonment. Application of the general reclamation plan to each of the sites listed in the abandoned impoundment inventory ends the report. It is concluded that the major problems posed by the abandoned tailing impoundments are physical rather than chemical. Movement of fine-grained tailing material directly into the surface streams appears to be a more serious problem than chemical leaching of heavy metal ions from the abandoned tailing impoundments into ground water flow systems.
Subjects:
water pollution mine wastes heavy metals groundwater pollution
Location:
Coeur d'Alene Basin
Latitude:
47.52
Longitude:
-116.56
Collection:
Coeur d'Alene Basin
Rights:
Rights to the digital resource are held by the University of Idaho. http://www.uidaho.edu/
Publisher:
University of Idaho
Contributing Institution:
University of Idaho
Type:
Text
Format:
application/pdf
Cataloger:
wbv
Date Digitized:
2012

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Preferred Citation:
"Reclamation plans for abandoned mill tailing impoundments in the South Fork Coeur d'Alene River Basin", Idaho Waters Digital Library, University of Idaho Library Digital Collections, https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/iwdl/items/iwdl-cda_gross_1982.html
Rights
Rights:
Rights to the digital resource are held by the University of Idaho. http://www.uidaho.edu/
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