Permeable Reactive Barriers for Treatment of a Groundwater at a Uranium Mine: Laboratory Evaluation of Reactive Materials

Abstract

Oxidation of sulfide minerals has resulted in the release of low quality water from the Claude waste rock storage area at the Cluff Lake Mine in northern Saskatchewan. This low-quality drainage water has been displaced into an underlying aquifer, resulting in the development of a groundwater plume. The principal element of concern in the plume water is dissolved nickel, which occurs in the range of 2 to 14 mg/L. The plume water has low pH (∼4.3), is oxidized, contains high concentrations of dissolved sulfate (1000-4750 mg/L), aluminum (up to 45 mg/L), zinc (up to 3 mg/L), cobalt (up to 3 mg/L) and relatively low concentrations of other dissolved heavy metals and iron.