Daniels and Orndorff, 2003 ICARD Acid Rock Drainage

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W L DANIELS and Z W ORNDORFF draining a much larger watershed to pH 0.2 per cent) in all future road corridors passing through known risk zones. Once potentially acidic materials are exposed in cuts and disposed of in oxidised fill environments (unsaturated), the thermodynamics of pyrite oxidation will inevitably lead to acid generation. In extreme examples, such as those found at the Stafford airport, widespread soil and surface water acidification and associated environmental damage will ensue. Currently, the only known proven technique for permanently remediating these situations is to bulk-blend lime or other alkaline materials with the cut surface, or with the bulk of the disposal fill based upon appropriate acid-base accounting procedures. Where feasible, placement of the sulfidic materials below the: 1. water table; or 2 beneath an impermeable engineered cap will also drastically limit or prevent acid generation. Obviously, avoidance of sulfidic materials in the road planning process is clearly the preferred mitigation alternative. However, it is obvious that in many instances: 1. road corridors or construction projects cannot be economically relocated sufficiently to miss sulfide-bearing strata; and 2. the increasing depth of cut in modern road designs in rolling topography will lead to increased probability of intercepting sulfidic materials. While the barren and erosive slopes resulting from acidification of cut roadbanks are the most obvious indicator of this problem, the long term emission of acidic drainage from fills is clearly the most serious environmental compliance problem that VDOT and other land developers will face with sulfidic materials over time. It is clear that acid seepage from fills is causing local damage to Virginia’s streams at various locations. While the extent of this damage is very localised and not extensive to date, the costs of capturing and treating these discharges could represent significant long-term costs if and when they are identified as point source discharges. Therefore, the true cost of identifying, handling and disposing of potentially acid-forming materials must be rigorously assessed and designed for in the overall construction process. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are indebted to the Virginia Transportation Research Council (Mike Fitch and Mike Perfater) and to the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (Chris Peot) for their support of various components of the work reported here. We also appreciate the field support of Wright Trucking Inc. (Lloyd and Milton Wright), Synagro (Steve McMahon), Adam Crist with Stafford County, and the collective efforts of Campbell and Paris (Tim Harms, Tony DiLuca, Cindi Martin and Ed Wallis) at Stafford airport. Thanks also to Pat Donovan and Katie Haering of Virginia Tech for assistance on the Stafford airport project. Finally, we greatly appreciate the long-term persistence of Dr Delvin Fanning of the University of Maryland in pointing out the nature of acid-sulfate soils to our colleagues around the world. REFERENCES Adams, C B, Klamke C A and Hollabaugh, C L, 1999. Geochemical monitoring of Kiser Creek, near Buchanan, Harallson County, Georgia: the effects of pyrite-rich rocks on the pH, iron, and sulfate content of surface waters, Georgia Journal of Science, 57(2):113-122. Anderson, R, Bell B and Reynolds, J, 1991. Induced polarization used for highway planning, Investigations in Geophysics, 4:397-410. Barnhisel, R I and Harrison, J, 1976. Estimating lime requirement by a modified hydrogen peroxide potential acidity method, Kentucky Agric Exper Sta, Soil Testing Laboratory, Lexington, KY, USA. 486 Cairns, QLD, 12 - 18 July 2003 6th ICARD
Daniels, W L and Stewart, B R, 2000. Reclamation of Appalachian coal refuse disposal areas, in Reclamation of Drastically Disturbed Lands (Eds: R I Barnhisel, R G Darmody and W L Daniels), Monograph 41, pp 433-460 (American Society of Agronomy: Madison). Daniels, W L, Li, R S and Stewart, B R, 2000. Influence of liming and topsoil on vegetative growth and leaching potentials of acid coal refuse, Transactions, Soc Mining Metallurgy and Explor, 308:25-31. Daniels, W L, Evanylo, G K, Nagle, S M and Schmidt, J M, 2001. Effects of biosolids loading rate and sawdust additions on row crop yield and nitrate leaching potentials in Virginia sand and gravel mine reclamation, in Proceedings 2001 National Meeting of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation, pp 399-406 (ASMR, 3134 Montavesta Rd, Lexington, KY, USA, 40502). Daniels, W L, Nagle, S M, Whittecar, G R and Evanylo, G K, 2002. Effects of biosolids application on ground water nitrate-N levels in sand and gravel mine reclamation in Virginia, in Proceedings 2002 National Meeting of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation, pp 645-674 (ASMR, 3134 Montavesta Rd, Lexington, KY, USA, 40502). Fanning, D S, Coppock, C and Rabenhorst, M C, 2002. Upland active acid sulfate soils from construction of new Stafford County, Virginia, USA, in Conference Abstracts, Fifth International Acid Sulfate Soils Conference, p 126 (Tweed Heads: NSW Australia). Fox, D, Robinson, C and Zentilli, M, 1997. Pyrrhotite and associated sulphides and their relationship to acid rock drainage in the Halifax Formation, Meguma Group, Nova Scotia, Atlantic Geology, 33:87-103. Geidel, G and Caruccio, F T, 2000. Geochemical factors affecting coal mine drainage quality, in Reclamation of Drastically Disturbed Lands (Eds: R I Barnhisel, R G Darmody and W L Daniels) Monograph 41, pp 105-130 (American Society of Agronomy: Madison). Huckabee, J W, Goodyear, C and Jones, R D, 1975. Acid rock in the Great Smokies: unanticipated impact on aquatic biota of road construction in regions of sulfide mineralisation, Trans Amer Fisheries Soc, 104:677-684. Hicks, S A, 2003. Acidic airport drainage, 20 years and $20 million worth of experience, in Proceedings Sixth International Conference on Acid Rock Drainage, pp 489-494 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne). Igarishi, T and Oyama, T, 1999. Deterioration of water quality in a reservoir receiving pyrite-bearing rock drainage and its geochemical modeling, Eng Geology, 55:45-55. ACID ROCK DRAINAGE FROM HIGHWAY AND CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES IN VIRGINIA, USA Mathews, R C Jr and Morgan, E L, 1982. Toxicity of Anakeesta Formation leachates to shovel-nosed salamander, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Journal Environ Quality, 11(1):102-106. Morgan, E L, Porak, W F and Arway, J A, 1982. Controlling acidic-toxic metal leachates from southern Appalachian construction slopes: mitigating stream damage, Transportation Research Record, 948:10-16. Orndorff, Z W, 2001. Evaluation of Sulfidic Materials in Virginia Highway Corridors, PhD, Dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Orndorff, Z W and Daniels, W L, 2002. Delineation and Management of Sulfidic Materials in Virginia Highway Corridors, Virginia Transportation Research Council Report VTRC 03-CR3, VTRC, Charlottesville, VA, USA. O’Shay, T, Hossner, L R and Dixon, J B, 1990. A modified hydrogen peroxide method for determination of potential acidity in pyritic overburden, Journal Environ Qual, 19:778-782. Rader, E K and Evans, N H, 1993. Geologic map of Virginia – expanded explanation, Virginia Div, Mineral Resources, Charlottesville, VA, USA. Sahat, A M, and Sum, C W, 1990. Disintegration of road aggregates along parts of the Gurun-Alor Setar and Ipoh-Changkat Jering highways, Warta Geologia, 16(3):142. Sobek, A A, Skousen, J G, and Fisher Jr, S E, 2000. Chemical and physical properties of overburdens and minesoils, in Reclamation of Drastically Disturbed Lands (Eds: R I Barnhisel, R G Darmody and W L Daniels), Monograph 41, pp 77-104 (American Society of Agronomy: Madison). Sobek, A A, Schuller, W A, Freeman, J R and Smith, R M, 1978. Field and Laboratory Methods Applicable to Overburden and Minespoils, USEPA Report EPA-600/2-78-054, (US Environmental Protection Agency: Cincinnati). USEPA, 1999. 1999 Update of Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Ammonia, (EPA-822-R-99-014; Dec 1999), (US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water: Washington DC). Vear, A and Curtis, C, 1981. A quantitative evaluation of pyrite weathering. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 6:191-198. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources, 2001, Digital Geologic Map of Virginia, VDMR, Charlottesville, VA, USA. Zentilli, M and Fox, D, 1997. Geology and mineralogy of the Meguma Group and their importance to environmental problems in Nova Scotia, Atlantic Geology, 3(2):81-85. 6th ICARD Cairns, QLD, 12 - 18 July 2003 487
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Daniels and Orndorff, 2003 ICARD Acid Rock Drainage

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