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Practical Assessment Techniques for the Impact of Acid Mine Drainage on Riverine Systems

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Practical Assessment Techniques for the Impact of Acid Mine Drainage on Riverine Systems Indian Journal of Engineering & Materials Sciences Vol. 5, August \998, pp. 147-161 Practical assessment techniques for the impact of acid mine drainage on riverine systems N F Gray Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland Received 10 June 1997 New technical procedures and protocols have been developed to assess the environmental impact of acid mine drainage (AMD) on riverine (lotic) systems. The impact of AMD is characterised at community level to identify and prioritise key mechanisms. Conductivity is used as a rapid field method to assess the strength of AMD and the degree of contamination of both surface and ground waters. Toxicity is assessed using both the Activated Sludge Inhibition Test and the Microtox Bioassay procedure. Evaluation and calibration of test methods should be done using artificial AMD. Fish toxicity testing is also examined, and in-situ toxicity assessment using macro-invertebrates is also evaluated for riverine conditions. Biological surveillance and sediment contamination assessment procedures are reported. A substrate-classification index provides a rapid visual assessment of AMD impact on rivers; while an objective water quality index allows sensitive classification of both AMD and contaminated waters, regardless of relative variation of key parameters. To be effective, these new techniques should be used within the framework of a remediation or management strategy. An example of such a strategy is given for Avoca mines in Ireland. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a multi-factor The major effects in each category are reviewed in 2 pollutant'. It affects aquatic ecosystems via a detail by Gray and Sullivan • number of direct and indirect pathways. Major The impact of AMD on rivers is very difficult to impact areas are coastal waters, rivers, lakes and predict due to the variability of discharge rate from estuaries, although AMD affects different aquatic adits, variation in adit strength and composition ecosystems in different ways. Due to its complexity, which often varies seasonally, the .effect of surface the impact of AMD is difficult to quantity and runoff from exposed areas of the mines during predict in lotic systems. It is simplest to categorise heavy rainfall, and the effect of the catchment AMD into a number of pollutional categories. These discharge characteristics affecting dilution, and the are (a) metal toxicity which affects the biota both concentration of organic matter in the water directly and indirectly through bioaccumulation and chelating soluble metals present. Assessment is biomagnification, (b) sedimentation processes which difficult due to the complexity of the impacts, can be further separated into turbidity and deposition although diversity and abundance are key variables of iron (III) hydroxides, (c) acidity and the for biotic evaluation. Fish movement and migration destruction of the bicarbonate buffering system, and is also a useful indicator. However, there has to be a (d) salinization. The effects of AMD are complex balance/compromise drawn between simplicity and but can be categorised as physical, chemical, actual interactions. Actual systems may be so biological and ecological (Fig. 1). In. order to complex that no useful information can be obtained evaluate the impact the interactions of each from attempting to model them, while a simpler pollutional category must be considered in detail at approach, concentrating on the major interactions the community level. This is most easily done by (e.g. toxicity of key metals or the degree of substrate using flow diagrams of the major interactions, modification caused by iron precipitation which is allowing the assessment of the impact to be directly linked to pH), may prove to be more useful conceptualised in a step-wise approach (Figs 2-5). in understanding AMD impacts and predicting them. / \ 148 INDIAN J. ENG. MATER. scr., AUGUST 1998 Increased acidity Substrate modification Behavioural Habitat modification Reduction in pH Increase in stream Respiratory velocity Destruction of Reproduction Niche loss bicarbonate Turbidity buffering system Osmoregulation Bioaccumulation within food chain Sedimentation Acute and chronic Increase in toxicity soluble metal Adsorption of metals Loss of food Death of sensitive concen trations onto sediment source or prey species Increase in Reduction in turbulance Elimination of particulate metals due to sedimentation Acid-base balance sensitive species increasing laminar flow failure in organisms Reduction in Decrease in light Migration or primary penetration avoidance productivity Food chain modification Fig. I-Summary of the major effects of AMD on a lotic system Between June 1993 and June 1995 Trinity sulphate ions. As sulphate is a difficult anion to College co-ordinated a European Union sponsored measure directly in the field then conductivity, for project (Contract: EV5V-CT93-0248) entitled which accurate and robust electrodes and meters are biorehabilitation of the acid mine drainage available, is ideal for routine field screening of water phenomenon by accelerated bioleaching of mine samples for AMD contamination. Sulphate analysis waste. The role of Trinity College was to look at the is normally carried out by Ion Chromatography impact of acid mine drainage on riverine systems which requires sample dilutions. The use of and to develop new assessment procedures and conductivity ensures accurate sulphate analysis by protocols where they were deemed necessary. selecting ideal dilutions. Below a number of new assessment techniques for Conductivity can be used to predict sulphate evaluating the effect of AMD on riverine systems concentration in both AMD and contaminated are described. surface waters using regression analysis. Most accurate predictions are achieved by using equations Techniques given for specific conductivity ranges or AMD Field assessment of AMD contamination using conductivity sources. However, for general use with AMD Both sulphate and conductivity are excellent (including raw AMD, surface runoff from spoil and indicators of AMD contamination. This is due to workings, and leachate streams or adits) then sulphate being an end product of pyrite oxidation. sulphate (y) can be predicted from' the conductivity Unlike pH, both parameters are extremely sensitive (IlS/cm) (x) using Eq. (\): to AMD even where large dilutions have occurred. y=-1974+1.67x ... (1) The advantage of using sulphate to trace AMD is FOr impacted surface waters the general equation that unlike other ions it is not removed to any great (2) should be used: extent by sorption or precipitation processes, being unaffected by fluctuations in pH. These two y = -69.5+0.77x ... (2) parameters are also closely associated, as would be Fytas and Hadjigeorgiou' have shown that expected, as conductivity is especially sensitive to intermittent manual sampling does not adequately \ GRAY: ACID MINE DRAINAGE ASSESSMENT 149 METAL I TOXICITY I I t t I Direct I Indirect I bioaccumulationl I biomagnification ~ loss of loss of loss of tolerance modified heterotrophs sensitive f+- sensitive behaviour, and periphytoil develops plant animal reproduction species species + loss of decline elimination elimination herbivores in 1° of I-- of and grazers production consumers predators accumulation, exclusion, behavioural chanzes L..J 10&8 of habitats I Modification of food chain, I ./ , ..••. ~ especially higher trophic levels I reduction in species ./ r-, ./ r-, diversity. Fig. 2-1mpact of metals arising from AMD on lotic systems describe the variability of AMD, and recommend ideal parameter for sampling and monitoring acid the use of continuous monitoring. Conductivity is mine waters. an extremely reliable, accurate, simple and cheap There is also potential to use conductivity to parameter to monitor continuously. In contrast, predict approximate concentrations of key metals sulphate is a difficult ion to monitor in the field, when the pH of the water is within their respective and especially continuously, as there is no ion- solubility ranges (Table It. specific electrode available. Automated calorimetry Toxicity assessment of AMD can be used, however, due to the presence of iron oxides in AMD and natural humic acids in rivers Toxicity assessment selection such as the Avoca River, as well as other In order to identify rapid, sensitive and repeatable influences, automated sulphate analysis in the field toxicity tests for assessing the environmental impact is currently unreliable, lacks precision and is very of acid mine drainage, a literature review was expensive. Therefore conductivity appears to be the undertaken'. Macroscopic test organisms such as I \ VI -o SEDIMENTATION I I Sediment I , I Turbidity, , decrease clog filters, gills Toxic modification! inhibition plant tissue loss in 1° I light and feeding sediment destruction production of vision z I I smothered penetration mechanisms e of substrate ~ ~ ~ ~ • reduction Direct/indirect reduction in ~ I I habi tat loss : plants I I reduction in I in feeding p toxicity I eliminated productivity photosynthesis <, efficiency , ~ reduction in CIl reduction in species diversity herbivores! plant growth species move ! I grazers suppressed out of area or P [ are eliminated > loss of § CIl I . I I decrease in I herbivores! .., modification of food cham I I olant species I grazers :g 1 00 / reduction in habitat diversity t ~ reduction in ~ modification species diversity of food chain Fig. 3-Impact of sedimentation
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