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Niyogi, D. K., McKnight, D. M., Lewis, W. M., Jr., & Kimball, B. A. (1999). Experimental diversion of acid mine drainage and the effects on a headwater stream. Water-Resources Investigations Report, Wri 99-4018-A, 123–130.
Abstract: An experimental diversion of acid mine drainage was set up near an abandoned mine in Saint Kevin Gulch, Colorado. A mass-balance approach using natural tracers was used to estimate flows into Saint Kevin Gulch. The diversion system collected about 85 percent of the mine water during its first year of operation (1994). In the first 2 months after the diversion, benthic algae in an experimental reach (stream reach around which mine drainage was diverted) became more abundant as water quality improved (increase in pH, decrease in zinc concentrations) and substrate quality changed (decrease in rate of metal hydroxide deposition). Further increases in pH to levels above 4.6, however, led to lower algal biomass in subsequent years (1995-97). An increase in deposition of aluminum precipitates at pH greater than 4.6 may account for the suppression of algal biomass. The pH in the experimental reach was lower in 1998 and algal biomass increased. Mine drainage presents a complex, interactive set of stresses on stream ecosystems. These interactions need to be considered in remediation goals and plans.
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Kleinmann, R. L. P. (1990). Acid Mine Water Treatment using Engineered Wetlands. Int. J. Mine Water, 9(1-4), 269–276.
Abstract: 400 systems installed within 4 years During the last two decades, the United States mining industry has greatly increased the amount it spends on pollution control. The application of biotechnology to mine water can reduce the industry's water treatment costs (estimated at over a million dollars a day) and improve water quality in streams and rivers adversely affected by acidic mine water draining from abandoned mines. Biological treatment of mine waste water is typically conducted in a series of small excavated ponds that resemble, in a superficial way, a small marsh area. The ponds are engineered to first facilitate bacterial oxidation of iron; ideally, the water then flows through a composted organic substrate that supports a population of sulfate-reducing bacteria. The latter process raises the pH. During the past four years, over 400 wetland water treatment systems have been built on mined lands as a result of research by the U.S. Bureau of Mines. In general, mine operators find that the wetlands reduce chemical treatment costs enough to repay the cost of wetland construction in less than a year. Actual rates of iron removal at field sites have been used to develop empirical sizing criteria based on iron loading and pH. If the pH is 6 or above, the wetland area (in2) required is equivalent to the iron. load (grams/day) divided by 10. Theis requirement doubles at a pH of 4 to 5. At a pH below 4, the iron load (grams/day) should be divided by 2 to estimate the area required (in2).
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Anonymous. (1998). Remediation of historical mine sites; technical summaries and bibliography. Littleton: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.
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Rees, B. (2005). An overview of passive mine water treatment in Europe. Mine Water Env., 24(1), 26–28.
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Coulton, R. H., & Williams, K. P. (2005). Active treatment of mine water; a European perspective. Mine Water Env., 24(1), 23–26.
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