The Limnology of Summer Camp Pit
Lake: A Case Study |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">J?V?ParshleyEmail author R?J?Bowell |
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Affiliation: | (1) SRK Consulting, Reno, NV, USA;(2) SRK Consulting, Cardiff, Wales |
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Abstract: | Abstract. Surface water bodies are expected to form in several pits
at the Getchell Open Pit Mine after mining has ceased due to
inflowing surface and ground water. Predicting the long-term
geochemical behavior of the pit water is important in assessing
potential environmental effects. One of the pits, the Summer
Camp Pit, began to develop a pit lake in 1991 when dewatering
ceased and the pit was used to store water pumped from
underground operations. This provided a field-scale opportunity
to identify the controls on lake water chemistry and determine
the effects of seasonal mixing events on long-term chemical
behavior. During a five-year period (1996-2001), a number of
physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of the lake
were monitored with the intent of using this information as a
basis for predicting long-term geochemical behavior of future
lakes in the other pits. Seasonal and multiyear cycles were
identified within the water column. These cycles were influenced
by climatic changes and element and sediment loadings of inflow
to the lake. Stratification occurred, with the metalimnion or
active layer of the lake evolving from a low total dissolved
solids (TDS), alkaline water to a high TDS, neutral to mildly
acidic water, until turnover occurred due to density variations
between the metalimnion and epilimnion, completely mixing the
layers. A hypolimnion that formed has the potential to stabilize
metals in the basal sediments as sulfide minerals below a
chemolimnion in the lake. Longer-term events also appear to
involve the hypolimnion.The monitoring program demonstrated the dynamic nature of
a pit lake and how the complex limnology can affect seasonal
water quality. Such considerations are important in interpreting
water quality from pit lakes and in selecting monitoring data to
use when constructing mathematical models for predicting changes
in water quality. |
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Keywords: | :" target="_blank">: geochemistry limnology pit lake |
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