Acid Mine Drainage Intro

Acid Mine Drainage Intro Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) a significant pollutant of surface water in the mid-Atlantic region. AMD comes mainly from abandoned goal mines and currently active mining. Mines built as early as the 1800s utilized gravity drainage to avoid water accumulating in the mine. AMD is caused when water flows over or through sulfur-bearing materials forming acidic solutions. AMD degrades more than 4,500 stream miles in the mid-Atlantic region with the loss of aquatic life, and restricts stream use for recreation, public drinking water and industrial water supplies. AMD occurs from mine drainage, which produces metal-rich water formed from chemical reactions between water and rocks containing sulfur minerals, such as pyrite. As a result, an acidic solution is formed when runoff from areas where ore and coal mining activities has exposed these rocks. As the runoff interacts with surface water, solutions of heavy metals such as copper, lead, and mercury mix together. These acidic solutions can contaminate drinking water, disrupt the growth and reproduction of aquatic plants and animals, and corrode structures such as bridges. The rate und degree by which acid-mine drainage proceeds can be increased by the action of certain bacteria. Stream impected by atld mine drainage from a Mid-Atlantic abandoned coal mine The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Resource Extraction program reviews state-submitted permits for various types of muning facilities including underground and surface mines, quarries and coal preparation plants. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) evaluates permits for consistency with the Clean Water Act and coordinates with state representatives to resolve permitting and water quality issues specific to mining and resource extraction facilities. 1. What causes Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)? AMD is couses when water shows over culfer the moticals. 2. List three environmental impacts of AMD. Duins drinking watts, harms aquatic i fe, runs ecosystems. 3. How does metal-rich water form? Forms when rusoff water nteracts with sulfur 4. What role does runoff play in creating AMD? Bun off corties sulfir into clean wote bodys. The Big Orange Problem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd9WKTY4.Jos 1. Describe the difference between the two streams Or is orange one looks healthy 2. Make an inference about the health of each stream. The orange ov is not healthy 3. Acid Mine Drainage (AMI)) results from compounds (such as pyrite) a. chemical reaction between Oxygen b. high-acidity Wate and sulfote solution with a high concentration of heavy retds 4. How do precipitates change the color of the stream? mine Mixes into the water making a orange colar. Water "Yellow bo Penrous hydro 4 FeS2 + 15 0₂ +14 H₂O 4 Fe(OH)3 + 8 SO₄ +16 H Reactants Products yellow Froo hydwnik forms when in acidic wester. When 5. What is Yellow boy? 6. How does AMD (sulfuric acid) change the pH of the stream? It lowes the PH. 7. How does changing the pH impact the concentration of dissolved metals in the stream? ncreases metal solubility moking mac imetlls Love PH dissolve o wister 8. What is one way to fix AMD? Increase the OH. 9 . What is the sacrifice zone? When on area of the enviorment is very damaged only from mines. 10. Metal Precipitation Demo Observations Initial Observations Final Observations Ferrous sulfate+ Sodium hydroxide Foras dark brown, some chunks Chuoths setthe down 2 Ferrous sulfate+ hydrochloric acid Dieverses precipitatic more clear Turns yellow, oo solids. 3 11. How are the precipitated metals in the demo similar to precipitates in streams? pH Ferrous sulfide, and sadivas hydroxide insta The Stream. 12. What happens to metals if the stream becomes more hasic? The stream will go back to normal of better. 13. What happens to metals if the stream becomes more acidie? Metals dissolve more readily 14. What does the word alkaline mean? Having a pH greater than 7, basic or not bas 15. How does an alkaline doser work? Neutralizes PH. 16 . What is the difference between active and passive treatment? Active requires continous humon involvement, and passive requires natures work. 17. Describe how the following passive treatments wor a. Limestone leach beds Wato flows thraigh limestore, reutdzes pH. b. Wetland enhancements Plonk's filter pulutbots. c. Gob pile removal/reclamation Removing leftove debries. 18. Describe how lowered pH and dissolved metals impact organisms living in streams. Low pH and high metal concentration can kill equatio Tife by making the envierness toxic. 19. What are some ways that organisms can change their behavior to avoid the stress from AMD? They migrate to deant areas. 20. What are indicator species? Theg ave sensative organisms that cos ervaluGE 21. the health of 9 stream. 21. List two examples of each indicator species a. Sensitive. Mayflies, Stonef os . Moderately sensitive b Dragonfly, Crayfiss c. Tolerant Leeches, Riffle Beetle 22. How does the biotic index measure the health of a stream? It asses water coulity based on the prescose of orgonisons living in it.