Impact of AMD on water quality in critical watershed in the Hudson River drainage basin: Phillips Mine,Hudson Highlands,New York |
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| Authors: | Sivajini Gilchrist Alexander Gates Zoltan Szabo Paul J Lamothe |
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| Institution: | (1) Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University, Smith Hall 137, 101 Warren Street, Newark, NJ 07102, USA;(2) US Geological Survey, 810 Bear Tavern Rd, W. Trenton, NJ 08628, USA;(3) US Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225, USA |
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| Abstract: | A sulfur and trace element enriched U–Th-laced tailings pile at the abandoned Phillips Mine in Garrison, New York, releases
acid mine drainage (AMD, generally pH < 3, minimum pH 1.78) into the first-order Copper Mine Brook (CMB) that drains into
the Hudson River. The pyrrhotite-rich Phillips Mine is located in the Highlands region, a critical water source for the New
York metro area. A conceptual model for derivation/dissolution, sequestration, transport and dilution of contaminants is proposed.
The acidic water interacts with the tailings, leaching and dissolving the trace metals. AMD evaporation during dry periods
concentrates solid phase trace metals and sulfate, forming melanterite (FeSO4·7H2O) on sulfide-rich tailings surfaces. Wet periods dissolve these concentrates/precipitates, releasing stored acidity and trace
metals into the CMB. Sediments along CMB are enriched in iron hydroxides which act as sinks for metals, indicating progressive
sequestration that correlates with dilution and sharp rise in pH when mine water mixes with tributaries. Seasonal variations
in metal concentrations were partly attributable to dissolution of the efflorescent salts with their sorbed metals and additional
metals from surging acidic seepage induced by precipitation. |
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| Keywords: | Acid mine drainage Pyrrhotite– pyrite oxidation Melanterite Goethite Heavy metals |
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