Texas has been the location of the greatest number of uranium in-situ recovery (ISR) mines in the United States, and was the incubator for the development of alkaline leach technology in this country. For that reason, the author chose to focus on the effectiveness of restoration at ISR mines by examining legacy mines developed in Texas. The best source for accurate information about restoration at Texas ISR mines is housed at the TCEQ offices in Austin. The bulk of this research is an analysis of those records.
We can conclude that in Texas, ISR mines are characterized by high baseline arsenic, cadmium lead selenium radium and uranium. After mining and restoration for those cadmium, lead, selenium, radium, uranium. restoration, well fields that reported "final values" in TCEQ records, more than half of the PAAs had lowered levels of many elements, including some that dropped below MCL.
Of those elements for which MCL is established, the majority of PAAs showed increases in uranium and selenium after mining and restoration and decreases in arsenic, cadmium, fluoride, lead, mercury, nitrate, and radium to below baseline for the majority of well fields.
Resource Portal for I2M Clients, Associates, and Geoscientists
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-