Lead mobilisation in the hyporheic zone and river bank sediments of a contaminated stream: contribution to diffuse pollution

Palumbo-Roe, Barbara; Wragg, Joanna; Banks, Vanessa

doi:10.1007/s11368-012-0552-7

Cited by 37 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…This study highlights that despite the fact the surface water has relatively low concentrations of dissolved Pb, the enhanced Pb concentration in the hyporheic zone in the study stream stretch can have an adverse impact on the riparian biota, confirming the findings in Palumbo-Roe et al (2012). The characterisation of the hyporheic zone, taken with water chemical mass balance, indicates that natural attenuation processes are important for Mn.…”

Section: Wfd Implicationssupporting

confidence: 80%

The hyporheic zone composition of a mining-impacted stream: Evidence by multilevel sampling and DGT measurements

Palumbo-Roe

Dearden

2013

Applied Geochemistry

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The importance of the hyporheic zone in influencing stream solute loads and stream ecosystems has been increasingly recognised. The hyporheic zone physicochemical composition of a stream stretch of the Rookhope Burn, a tributary of the River Wear in the North Pennines, UK, affected by historical mining of Pb ore, was characterised at two contrasting flow and temperature regimes. Vertical element concentration gradients were obtained using multilevel samplers down to a depth of 40 cm below the water-sediment boundary. Additional in-situ Diffuse Gradients in Thin films (DGT) measurements of surface water and pore water were obtained.Circumneutral pH and oxidising conditions characterised the hyporheic zone of the study reach, composed of coarse-textured bed sediments. The surface hyporheic zone (top 15-20 cm) was dominated by the chemistry of the overlying water, while interactions with the solid phase were important for some elements in the deeper section of the hyporheic zone. Manganese was attenuated in the hyporheic zone as shown by SEM analysis of Mn-rich grain coatings from the bed sediment. Fine resolution data obtained through the use of the DGT probe deployed in the sediment at one sampling location, showed localised loss in Mn and Zn concentrations at 1.5 to 4.5 cm below the water-sediment interface. There was clear evidence for hyporheic pore water enrichment in Pb, which was unaffected seasonally, while Zn was greater in the summer sampling. These temporal variations of the hyporheic zone composition warrant consideration when accounting for the contribution of disperse inputs to mining impacted catchments, highlighting the need for hyporheic zone studies taking into account differences in seasons.The significance of the observed sediment-scale hyporheic processes on the reach-scale geochemical mass balance was estimated by using surface water geochemical loading calculations. Water metal mass balance from four previous sampling events indicated a constant loss of Mn load, a continuous gain of Pb load and a more temporally variable loss of Zn load for a 700 m stream stretch which included the study site. These results closely agreed with the present observations at the stream bed sediment scale, supporting the importance of hyporheic dynamic solute exchanges in affecting surface water quality for the study stream.

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Section: Wfd Implicationssupporting

confidence: 80%

The hyporheic zone composition of a mining-impacted stream: Evidence by multilevel sampling and DGT measurements

Palumbo-Roe

Dearden

2013

Applied Geochemistry

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“…Contaminated drainage from historical and contemporary hard rock mining activities is recognised as one of the most pressing global water quality issues (Mayes et al 2008;Palumbo-Roe et al 2012;Hudson-Edwards 2016). Typically, contaminated drainage has multiple sources across a mineralised watershed and is often diffuse in nature (Byrne et al 2013;Runkel et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synoptic Sampling and Principal Components Analysis to Identify Sources of Water and Metals to an Acid Mine Drainage Stream

Byrne

Runkel

Walton-Day

2016

Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs

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Combining the synoptic mass balance approach with principal components analysis (PCA) can be an effective method for discretising the chemistry of inflows and source areas in watersheds where contamination is diffuse in nature and/or complicated by groundwater interactions. This paper presents a field-scale study in which synoptic sampling and PCA are employed in a mineralized watershed (Lion Creek, Colorado, USA) under low flow conditions to (i) quantify the impacts of mining activity on stream water quality; (ii) quantify the spatial pattern of constituent loading; and (iii) identify inflow sources most responsible for observed changes in stream chemistry and constituent loading. Several of the constituents investigated (Al, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) fail to meet chronic aquatic life standards along most of the study reach. The spatial pattern of constituent loading suggests four primary sources of contamination under low flow conditions. Three of these sources are associated with acidic (pH <3.1) seeps that enter along the left bank of Lion Creek. Investigation of inflow water (trace metal and major ion) chemistry using PCA suggests a hydraulic connection between many of the left bank inflows and mine water in the Minnesota Mine shaft located to the north-east of the river channel. In addition, water chemistry data during a rainfall-runoff event suggests the spatial pattern of constituent loading may be modified during rainfall due to dissolution of efflorescent salts or erosion of streamside tailings. These data point to the complexity of contaminant mobilisation processes and constituent loading in mining-affected watersheds but the combined synoptic sampling and PCA approach enables a conceptual model of contaminant dynamics to be developed to inform remediation.

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“…Diffuse sources of pollution at metal mining impacted sites can arise from runoff from tailings piles and waste heaps [10][11][12], through inputs of contaminated sub-surface water via the hyporheic zone [6,13] and from remobilisation of previously deposited contaminated overbank sediment [2,9,14]. Because of the diffuse nature of the contaminant source and in stream transport, metal contaminants can be deposited in particulate form on riverbanks and floodplains several hundreds of kilometres from the main mining area [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Metal contaminants buried deep within floodplains could be assigned to long term storage and remain unavailable for uptake by organisms and plants, thus presenting a low environmental risk [9]. However, nearer the active channel where sediment is exposed to variations in river flow, chemical changes (redox potential and pH) brought about through dredging activities [18,19], bioturbation [20], infiltration and exfiltration of river and ground water through the hyporheic zone [6,13,21] and the exposure and submergence of river bank sediment through flood and drought episodes [22][23][24], can remobilize stored metals, potentially increasing the bioavailability of these contaminants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Risk of Metal Mining Contaminated River Bank Sediment at Redox-Transitional Zones

2014

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Diffuse metal pollution from mining impacted sediment is widely recognised as a potential source of contamination to river systems and may significantly hinder the achievement of European Union Water Framework Directive objectives. Redox-transitional zones that form along metal contaminated river banks as a result of flood and drought cycles could cause biogeochemical changes that alter the behaviour of polyvalent metals iron and manganese and anions such as sulphur. Trace metals are often partitioned with iron, manganese and sulphur minerals in mining-contaminated sediment, therefore the dissolution and precipitation of these minerals may influence the mobility of potentially toxic trace metals. Research indicates that freshly precipitated metal oxides and sulphides may be more "reactive" (more adsorbent and prone to dissolution when conditions change) than older crystalline forms. Fluctuations at the oxic-anoxic interface brought about through changes in the frequency and duration of flood and drought episodes may therefore influence the reactivity of secondary minerals that form in the sediment and the flux of dissolved trace metal release. UK climate change models predict longer dry periods for some regions, interspersed with higher magnitude flood events. If we are to fully comprehend the future environmental risk these climate change events pose to mining impacted river systems it is recommended that research efforts focus on identifying the primary controls on trace metal release at the oxic-anoxic interface for flood and drought cycles of different duration and frequency. This paper critically reviews the literature regarding biogeochemical processes that occur at different temporal scales during oxic, OPEN ACCESSMinerals 2014, 4 53 reducing and dry periods and focuses on how iron and sulphur based minerals may alter in form and reactivity and influence the mobility of trace metal contaminants. It is clear that changes in redox potential can alter the composition of secondary iron and sulphur minerals and influence the sorption of toxic trace metals and susceptibility to dissolution when further redox potential changes occur. However further work is needed to determine: (i) The extent to which different duration and frequency of wet and dry cycles influences the dissolution and precipitation of iron and sulphur minerals in mining contaminated river bank sediment; (ii) The temporal effects on mineral reactivity (sorption capacity and susceptibility to dissolution); (iii) The key biogeochemical processes that control the mobility of contaminant trace metals under these dynamic redox potential conditions.

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Lead mobilisation in the hyporheic zone and river bank sediments of a contaminated stream: contribution to diffuse pollution

Cited by 37 publications

References 26 publications

The hyporheic zone composition of a mining-impacted stream: Evidence by multilevel sampling and DGT measurements

The hyporheic zone composition of a mining-impacted stream: Evidence by multilevel sampling and DGT measurements

Synoptic Sampling and Principal Components Analysis to Identify Sources of Water and Metals to an Acid Mine Drainage Stream

Environmental Risk of Metal Mining Contaminated River Bank Sediment at Redox-Transitional Zones

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