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Uranium Tailings Sampling Manual

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Uranium Tailings Sampling Manual NATIONAL URANIUM TAILINGS URANIUM TAILINGS SAMPLING PROGRAM MANUAL NUTP-1E Energy, Mines and Er Canada URANIUM TAILINGS SAMPLING MANUAL Golder Associates: S. Feenstra, D. W. Reades, J.A. Cherry and SENES Consultants: D.B. Chambers, G.G. Case, B.G. Ibbotson National Uranium Tailings Program NUTP-1E CANMET Canada Centre Centre canadien tor Mineral de la technologie and Energy des mineraux Technology et de I'Gnergie c Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1985 Available in Canada through Authorized Bookstore Agents and other bookstores or by mail from Canadian Government Publishing Centre Supply and Services Canada Ottawa. Canada K1A0S9 Catalogue No. M39-15/I-1985F Canada: $6.7? ISBN 0-660-1 18H0-7 Other Countries: $8.10 Price subject to change wiihout notice FOREWORD There are currently about 130 million tonnes of mine wastes (tailings) produced from the mining and milling of uranium ore that are on, or near, the surface in Canada. At public hearings and other forums held in connection with proposals for new uranium production facilities, concern has been expressed fc.ix>ut the impact that these wastes may have on the environment in the future. Government regulatory agencies believe that there may be long-term environmental and health consequences associated with uranium tailings that are not yet fully understood. As a result of a year-long study, undertaken by a group of experts from government, industry, and the universities, into the possible long-term problems of uranium tailings management, the decision was taken by the Federal Government to launch an R & D program to assist in clarifying the nature and extent of problems that may arise in the future. It is anticipated that the results of such a program will be of use to the Atomic Energy Control Board and to provincial regulatory agencies in the establish- ment of criteria for the decommissioning and abandonment of uranium tailings. To this end, the National Uranium Tailings Program of CANMET has been funded to the extent of $9.5 million for a period of five years. The main objective of this Program is to provide a scientifically credible information base that will assist government regulatory agencies in making confident, knowledgeable decisions, and in estab- lishing criteria for the long-term protection of the environment and human health. The scientific information base will, among other things, describe the chemical and physical processes that involve tailings constituents and their movement along pathways from the tailings into the biosphere. The National Uranium Tailings Program's activities, which have been entirely contracted out, have included research into the processes involved in the behaviour and movement of contaminants from tailings, field sampling and measurements, chemical analyses, and predictive modelling. As an important part of the Program output, manuals have been prepared that incorporate the results of this work. This manual has been prepared for the purpose of making available up-to-date information and data that will be of interest and practical use to those directly concerned with operational aspects of uranium tailings management and regulation. W.G. Jeffery Director General Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology PREFACE This manual was prepared undercontract to the National Uranium Tailings Program (NUTP). NUTP is a federally-funded research program designed, among other things, to obtain data and information on uranium tailings constituents with the purpose of predicting the probabilities of contaminant releases and their impact on the environment in the long-term. It is essential that any samples taken during a field program on behalf of NUTP should be collected in the most scientific and accurate way possible. It is also important that any contractor working on behalf of NUTP uses sampling techniques that meet the quality standards required for the Program. For this reason, NUTP staff commissioned this manual, one of a series of manuals, to ensure that an acceptable reference is available. It is also hoped that this manual will be useful to others working on field sampling programs. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As with any such endeavour, a large number of people made many helpful cor.-iribuiions to the development of this manual. I would like to thank the staff of NUTP, Victor Haw, Walter Harrison, Grant Feasby, and Gi/les Tremblay for their input. I would particularly like to thank Garry Grove of the National Hydrological Research Institute, Environment Canada, for all his many efforts. Lastly, I would like to thank Doug Chambers, Glen Case, Bret Ibbotson of SENES Consultants, and John Cherry and the two principal authors, Stan Feenstra and Denys Reades of Golder Associates. Roy John Project Manager, Measurements National Uranium Tailings Program DISCLAIMER Any mention of, or reference to, manufacturers' products should not be construed as an endorsement for those specific products. CONTENTS PAGE FOREWORD iii PREFACE v Acknowledgements v 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Purpose of Sampling Manual 1 1.2 Uranium Mine Tailings in Canada 1 1.3 Principal Environmental Concerns 2 1.4 References 3 2 DEFINITION OF A SAMPLING PROGRAM 4 2.1 Objectives 4 2.2 Scope 4 3 PRELIMINARY DATA COLLECTION 5 4 TAILINGS SOLIDS 6 4.1 Objectives 6 4.2 Selection of Sampling Locations 6 4.3 Physical Characterization 9 4.3.1 Parameters 9 4.3.2 Sample collection methods 9 4.3.3 Sample handling and preservation methods 13 4.3.4 Laboratory analytical methods 14 4.3.5 In situ testing 14 4.4 Chemical/Mineralogical Characterization 17 4.4.1 Parameters 17 4.4.2 Sample collection methods 18 4.4.3 Sample handling and preservation methods 18 4.4.4 Laboratory analytical methods 18 4.5 Radiological Characterization 18 4.5.1 Parameters 18 4.5.2 In situ testing 18 4.5.3 Sample collection methods 18 4.5.4 Sample handling and preservation methods 19 4.5.5 Laboratory analytical methods 19 4.6 Quality Assurance for Solids Sampling '. 19 4.7 Program Costs 21 4.8 References 23 5 SURFACE WATER AND SEEPAGE 24 5.1 Objectives 24 5.2 Selection of Sampling Locations 24 5.3 Surface Water 24 5.3.1 Flow measurements 24 5.3.2 Chemical sampling 25 5.3.2.1 Parameters 25 5.3.2.2 Sample collection methods 26 5.3.2.3 Sample handling and preservation methods 26 5.3.2.4 Analytical methods 28 5.4 Seepage 29 VII 5.4.1 Flow measurements 29 5.4.2 Chemical sampling 30 5.4.2.1 Parameters 30 5.4.2.2 Sample collection methods 30 5.4.2.3 Sample handling and preservation methods 31 5.4.2.4 Analytical methods 31 5.5 Quality Assurance for Water Sampling 31 5.5.1 Recording of field data 31 5.5.2 Quality control for sample collection 31 5.5.3 Independent assessment of data reliability 33 5.6 Program Costs 34 5.7 References 35 6 TAILINGS POREWATER 36 6.1 Objectives 36 6.2 Selection of Sampling Locations 36 6.3 Piezometer Construction and Installation 36 6.4 Hydraulic Head Measurements 40 6.5 Hydraulic Conductivity Testing 40 6.6 Porewater Sampling 45 6.6.1 Parameters 45 6.6.2 Sample collection r lethods 45 6.6.3 Sample handling a id preservation methods 52 6.6.4 Analytical methods; 52 6.7 Quality Assurance for Porewater Sampling 53 6.8 Program Costs 53 6.9 References 55 7 WIND-BLOWN DUST AND RADON 56 7.1 Objectives 56 7.2 Selection of Sampling Locations 56 7.3 Wind-Blown Dust 57 7.3.1 Parameters 57 7.3.2 Sample collection methods 58 7.3.3 Analytical methods 60 7.4 Radon 60 7.4.1 Parameters 60 7.4.2 Radon exhalation measurements 61 7.4.3 In situ radon measurements 62 7.4.4 Ambient air monitoring 62 7.5 Quality Assurance 62 7.6 Program Costs 62 7.7 References 64 8 CASE HISTORY - SAMPLING PROGRAMS AT DENISON MINES, ELLIOT LAKE, ONTARIO 65 8.1 Introduction 65 8.2 Williams Lake Tailings Impoundment 65 8.2.1 Introduction 65 8.2.2 Tailings solids sampling 67 8.2.3 Surface water sampling 70 8.2.4 Piezometer installation 70 8.2.5 Tailings porewater sampling 72 8.2.6 Wind-blown dust and radon 73 8.3 Long Lake Tailings Impoundment 77 8.3.1 Introduction 77 8.3.2 Physical properties of tailings 77 8.3.3 Tailings discharge, decant and seepage sampling 79 8.3.4 Tailings porewater sampling 79 8.3.5 Wind-blown dust and radon 79 viii 8.4 Summary 82 8.5 References 83 APPENDIX A - Uranium-238 and Thorium-232 Decay Series 85 TABLES No. 3.1 Types and sources of background data 5 4.1 Parameters for physical characterization of tailings solids 9 4.2 Tailings solids sampling techniques 10 4.3 Methods for in situ determination of physical parameters of tailings solids 14 4.4 Analyses for chemical/mineralogical characterization of tailings solids 17 4.5 Parameters for radiological characterization of tailings solids 19 4.6 Tailings radionuclide analysis by size class 20 5 1 Key parameters for water sampling 25 5.2 Water sample handling and preservation techniques 27 5.3 Empirical electrical conductance (EC)-ionic sum (B) relationships 34 6.1 Types of piezometers for measurement of hydraulic head and porewater sampling ... 37 6.2 Types of hydraulic conductivity testing techniques 42 6.3 Porewater sample collection methods 46 8.1 Summary of chemical analyses of tailings solids 67 8.2 Example of results of surface water sampling - Williams Lake tailings impoundment, Station D-3 71 8.3 Suspended particulate results for Williams Lake and other inactive tailings impoundments 75 8.4 Radiological analyses of suspended particulate samples collected near inactive tailings impoundments 76 8.5 Summary of total dustfall data collected in the Elliot Lake area during 1976- 1980 .
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