REP24011

• Permit No: M1977215
• IBM Index Class Name: Report
• Doc Date: 10/27/1997
• Doc Name: UPPER AND LOWER TAILING PONDS AT THE BULLDOG MINE CREEDE COLO
• From: SHEPHERD MILLER
• To: HOMESTAKE MINING CO
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

OCT-29-96 TUE 12 33 Ph SHEPHERD MILLER Frin N0. 970 223
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The pots-water geochemFstry and the mineralogy o[ the radase wne
of sul5de tarTitrgs, Wtite Amulet, Quebec, Canada
D~vtn W, BLOWES
Waterloo Cenve for Groundwaer Resaardt, Umvetsry dwatedao- Wautleo. Qataaie; try 3G1.
Geada
sad
1oxN L. lAataoa
Mineral Proaaing Laboratory. CANMFr, EnerD'. Mina sad Raautce Canada. Ooara- Omaio
KiA OGl. C•'u'
(Rrrrhrd 30 /aaaary 1989; accrRed N sercadJemt 10 NotvrtrlSer 1989)
-~ pH wmm, rogwrmg veartnent bevav d high mneantratieas d dasolrcd roanh, arc
befog dtsebarped from a demmmissiotted lblirtp itapottnthveot a the former wamc Amble[ Zn{a mint
a aortiasrtrn Quebec, raaada- A derailed rivdy d the .adoss tme Of the talingt oampering
eaiavalegictl aed jeod[entiof amtyses dthe nifioP sogdt frith teedtattial ana)yta e(the eatlinP P°rt
weeer and ptne Rs indlata rte prtaettts d th+ec cotta wi[)na ilia n8ittgi These saner iadyde as apps
sWfide-dep)c[cd mne io rbich the aulydcs ha.e been eaer»rcly rano.ed at[d ocidaca[[ a largely
mmplete, as intenaeQun mx, wicte ml6deositlatloa sad add neuvalmtion reacdom vc otxwtint,
and m ttttoddaad mtc bcl¢w the depth of awten ptaeoaciie, where mlfida arc uroxidiaed. tGah
agtcas eoootatratiom or dissatacd sortda are hang diapl:sd tbwttrard frost the samGedeplaed sate,
[hnuth the ua~dmd rase ttrrarC t6t rJtet nble. Salfideosidatipl std add-ncatrofiatioa reaaitms
bare gamated mtnwrations d dhsolved solids high eatongi to Ind ro tie p[rapigfion d a stria of
aemadaq totid pharu. Predpintioo-~Oludoq [titian mvobet rhea wrd pima ecnaN me
awtoeatrdata d the nnjer iera io dte ntli[tP pare water. Casoeatrae)ors d d®hed taeta4 are
eoatm¢ea 6y pruiptntten-dassotuoee, aysni•wnac[mal teptatsmmt. asd adwpdattlmpea~itarioe
rwcemt-lrttafasise based oa the o6savad daa sad tmmaitW timdadata saggat tbat n the absence
dun c9eetia rerttedial ptopam, adfide atimtion and H' prodaeriao wacmCOae ntrsavadmttura
QYiRODl7Cl'1Oty
Tsse W,trtt Mt[tle min. in trorrJteaseera Quctxc-
(Fig 1), Processed appmamatdy $.76 Mt of sulfide
ore between opemag iu 1929 sad final dostca in
1962. The predominantly 2:o-Cu mmdve-sulfide ore
was derived from 10 scgarate ore boffin in the
vidniry of the mi0. The mill produced G and Za
aonttatrata sad. hoer. also pyrite tot[oeaarates-The
rCSUttias 3.9 Mt d nnings arc conniaed iq m elev-
ated al-ha niliags dam adjamat W the site. These
u3iogs an deb in sulfide mi[sera)a, P~P~y Pyrite
and pytrlgdce, trhi~ oaidire rwdJy whN tc>Posed
to stet sad atmtstplterie exygea. Sulfide oxidatio¢
has generated brpH ~tioas and high mxen-
vatioos of SO±-, Fr' attd o[her metals. The.move-
taent of tailiay,.detived water away trortr the
hnpoundmteas grad mto adjoi¢iog staface and Around'
water Aow systems mttsdm[a an important eatiron-
mmnl proh(am.
Oudati¢n of adfide roiaerals and [Ire atzom-
paayhrg degradadoa in stutut rarer quality was
temgto'aed at the Wyte Ambler site m the la[e 1960s,
sad steps rare taken to tedrace dte enviroomeatal
®pact. These steps iadutscd the cOaSIIteLan sad
mmatenaaee of a vats-treatment plant, sad the
R7
Suaoesstul mmpittio¢ of a tatliags revegatado¢ pro-
gran.,"fn the iadyl9gOs is vas rcahzed that the
mmplerioa of the tevegetadoa program could me
slop the oaidatioa of sulfide taiaeals in rite ratings
impotatdmeat (Vataxvtgx a ar., 198'7).
In 198! ao ea[etaiva rcseach program was tm4r-
nlctm t0improve the tmdrnnatihtg of the gt:ochemi-
cat evoltnion of sulfide nirmgs sad to develop more
e8ccdre ptedtctive and temedul recheigoa foe tM
emi[oemeatal ptoblena attsodatrA with sulfide ta[1-
ings- The Waite Amok[ sins was seleetrd for this
seseardt betaorse these tartiags were extensively stud-
ied dtuuq the devdopmem d the tailings n:vege-
tadoa program, aze aaesst3k and is the vidairy d
laboratory 6dlitia, sad beause a vadery d hydro-
logiatl condition are present-at this site. This re•
search ptog:am mdaded invarigat;on of the hydro-
lop. hydrogeohrp, miambgy sad geochwisrry of
the rsiliags htspouotlment (DwvE a al., 19th; Sm[.
1986; Srvttc a af., 1981; Pet7tCt and PurwaD. 19A6;
sad lAamoa,1987a,b). The gtxd)eatistry sad mu[a•
elt>gy of the vadose zone o[ the tatLags arc desmbed
is this paper.
The vadose tone is the zone o[ partial weer satu-
la[itm, above the water table, vherc gaseous a¢ota•
phetie oxygen can diffuse into the ntliags and where