Preliminary study of interaction between tailing and the hydrologic cycle at a uranium mine near Tatanagar, India

Abstract

The tailing piles at the mine near Tatanagar were leached by water from the nearby geothermal springs present in Hazaribagh area in Jharkhand where few radioactive hot springs are reported. Water percolating through the tailing was found to be seriously contaminated by high levels of radium of the order of 7 to 9 ppm. A study has been undertaken in order to investigate the interaction of the tailing with the hydrological cycle. The results show that groundwater is present within the tailing pile and that this water has a high electrical conductivity compared with the groundwater of the adjacent natural area. When the groundwater from the tailings reached the external environment or mixes with the natural groundwater, serous environmental impacts occurred.