Assessment of uranium waste dump closure systems: Results of long term test fields at the former uranium mining site in schlema-alberoda, Germany

Abstract

Within the frame of the environmental monitoring of the former uranium mining sites in Schlema-Alberoda have been established in 1999 soil hydrological test fields on covered and revegetated waste heap dumps. The objectives of the long term investigations on the test fields are the quantification of infiltration rates as well as the evaluation of the dynamics of the soil water balance. The data, obtained from more than one decade of observation, provide the time development of the water balance in the system soil – vegetation – atmosphere. The data were used to optimize the covering and revegetation concept for the mine dumps. At the Schlema-Alberoda mine dumps the rehabilitation has been successfully carried out using of a 2-cover-layer which contains a humus surface layer.