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_________________Multiply_______________By______________To obtain__________________ acre 0.4047 hectare foot 0.3048 meter mile 1.609 kilometer square mile 2.590 square kilometer Degree Celsius (°C) may be converted to degree Fahrenheit (°F) by using the following equation:°F = 9/5(°C)+32. Degree Fahrenheit (°F) may be converted to degree Celsius (°C) by using the following equation:°C = 5/9(°F-32). Sea level: In this report, "sea level" refers to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 a geodetic datum derived from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of both the United States and Canada, formerly called Sea Level Datum of 1929. Chemical concentration and water temperature are reported only in metric units. Chemical concentration in water is reported in milligrams per liter (mg/L). Milligrams per liter is a unit expressing the solute per unit volume (liter) of water. One thousand milligrams per liter is equivalent to 1 gram per liter. For concentrations less than 7,000 milligrams per liter, the numerical value is about the same as for concentrations in parts per million. For concentrations much larger than 7,000 milligrams per liter, the concentration in milligrams per liter must be divided by water density to obtain the equivalent concentration in parts per million. Density of water in grams per milliliter (g/mL) at 20°C is obtained by adjusting specific-gravity measurements with corresponding temperature. Radioactivity is reported in picocuries per liter (pCi/L), which is the amount of radioactive decay producing 2.2 disintegrations per second in a unit volume (liter) of water. One tritium unit (TU), the more commonly used unit for tritium, is equivalent to 3.2 picocuries per liter.

Geochemical and hydrologic studies were conducted on parts of the Arkansas River and its flood plain downstream from Leadville, Colorado, to assess the effects of fluvial tailings deposits on soil and water quality, to identify processes causing water-quality degradation, and to identify implications of these results for remediation strategies. Soil samples indicated that the tailings deposits in a 3-mile reach of the flood plain contain as much as 6,500 and 12,000 milligrams per kilogram of lead and zinc, respectively. These concentrations are as much as 380 times the reported average concentrations for soils in the Western United States. Pyrite and some of its weathering products were identified in the soils, indicating that acid-rock drainage can occur. Estimates of instantaneous mass loads for calcium, iron, lead, manganese, and zinc in unfiltered Arkansas River samples for 18 different sampling dates in 1996 showed some evidence for increases in trace-element loads in some stream reaches during a few sampling dates during snowmelt runoff. These data indicate erosion of sediments or addition of trace elements to the water column in these stream reaches. Conversely, on some dates, during low flow, downstream loads decreased, indicating deposition of sediments or formation and settling of iron and manganese oxyhydroxide minerals, or both. For most of the 5 milligrams per liter) in one of the most upgrdient wells indicate contamination of ground water from upgradient tailings sources. Durin spring, a flush occurs that increases the areal extent of degraded ground water. The spring flush is from increased infiltration of springti e snowmelt through the tailings, or from season fluctuation of the groundwater table and capil ary fringe up into tailings material, or both. An understanding of the mechanism causing groundwater contamination is impo for remedial activities. If infiltration is the contamination mechanism, then shallow arne dments of acid-neutralizing material and effort to limit infiltration might be sufficient to remedi te adverse effects of the tailings deposits. Howe er, if water-table fluctuation is the mechanism, th n deeper amendments of acid-neutralizing mate • al would be required. In this case, a remedial effi rt would require detailed information about the depth, distribution, and acid-generating capac"ty of the tailings material.

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