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Mine Waste Technology
Program 1999 Annual Report
(PDF, 2.3 M, 63 pp)
Introduction
Mining waste generated by active and inactive mining production facilities and its impact on human health and the environment are a growing problem for Government entities, private industry, and the general public. The nation's reported volume of mine waste is immense. Presently, there are 68 sites on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Nation Priorities List.
Environmental impacts associated with inactive and abandoned mines are common to mining districts around the country, as shown in Table 1.
Total estimated remediation costs for these states range form $4 to $45 billion.
Health effects from the predominate contaminants in mine waste range from mild irritants to proven human carcinogens, such as cadmium and arsenic. The large volume of mine wastes and consequential adverse environmental and human health effects indicates an urgency for cleanup and abandoned, inactive, and active mining facilities. The environmental future of the United States depends in part on the ability to deal effectively with mine waste problems on the past and present, and , more importantly, to prevent mine waste problems in the future.
According to a 1985 report to Congress, mining and related activities generate anywhere from 1 to 2 billion tons of waste each year with a current total waste volume of 50 billion tons. Of this total volume, approximately 85% is attributed to copper, iron ore, uranium, and phosphate mining and related activities. Approximately one-half of the waste generated is mining waste and one-third is tailings, with the balance consisting of dump/heap leaching wastes and mine water.
The fiscal year (FY) 1991 Congressional Appropriation allocated $3.5 million to establish a pilot program in Butte, Montana, for evaluating and testing mine waste treatment technologies. The Mine Waste Technology Program (MWTP) received additional appropriations of $3.5 million in FY91, $3.3 million in FY 94, $5.9 million in FY95, $2.5 million in FY 96, $7.5 million in FY97, and $6.0 million in FY 98 and FY99.
The projects undertaken by this program focus on developing and demonstrating innovative technologies at both the bench and pilot-scale that treat wastes to reduce their volume, mobility, or toxicity. To convey the results of these demonstrations to the user community, the mining industry, and regulatory agencies, MWTP includes provisions for extensive technology transfer and educational activities. This report summarizes the progress MWTP made in FY99.