Download Acid Mine Drainage

Acid Mine Drainage
By: Jen Sommers
And Jamie Walsh
What Is Acid Mine Drainage?
Polluted water that normally
contains harsh levels of iron,
aluminum, and acid
High levels of oxidized iron
(rust), can cause a reddishbrown color
Mining disturbs pyrite and, as a
result, pyrite weathers and
reacts with oxygen and water in
the environment
Effects on Terrestrial and Aquatic
Ecosystems
• Streams effected
by AMD have a pH
level of 4 or lower.
• Has the same
acidic count as
battery acid.
Why is this a problem for PA?
• Because there is a lot of mining in
Pennsylvania.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR1sa
XGRezc
Affected
• Animals and organisms in the
area around the effected
stream are affected. Growth of
many species of bacteria. It has
a negative effect on beavers,
foxes, deer, and different types
of fish.
Affected: Cont’d
• Insects
– low pH levels in aquatic
species’ blood streams cause
a disturbance in the balance of
sodium and chloride ions.
– Mayflies: most sensitive
aquatic insect to low pH levels.
• Mayflies and stoneflies that
live in neutral water, suffer
a greater loss of sodium in
their blood, than acidtolerant insects.
• Leuctra and Amphinemura
are examples of acidtolerant Stoneflies.
Remedies: Active
• Difficult and expensive
• Hydrated lime, sodium
hydroxide, sodium
carbonate, or ammonia are
used to treat AMD.
• Bactericides (ex: antibiotics
and heavy metals).
• Alconox (ex: an inexpensive
detergent)
Remedies: Passive
• The metals are placed into holding ponds
and then weeded out, and placed into
another holding pond, and so on and so
forth. The cleaned water is then put back
into its respected home.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZHpPy
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References
• http://www.earthworksaction.org/amd.cfm
• http://www.cee.vt.edu/ewr/environmental/te
ach/gwprimer/acidmine/acidmine.html
• http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/landrec/pass
trt/passtrt.htm
• http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/m
inres/districts/cmdp/chap04.html