Acid mine drainage and environmental impacts of uranium deposits

At uranium ore deposits surface waters and local streams are important for the environment. Because these are affected by uranium-bearing acid mine drainage and dissolved uranium is moderated by dilution and sorption uptake by stream sediments. Depend on the mineral alteration and in the case of the iron existence, acid drainage forms in the streams. In this case surface waters and streams become a significant mechanism for mobilization of suspended uranium particles. The aim of this study is to assess the acid mine drainage and impacts on the surface water around uranium mine deposits. The study area includes a sedimentary type uranium deposit outcrops without mining. In this study, in-situ water samples around uranium outcrops were analyzed in the research area. These measurements were carried out by using portable water quality device. The acidity of water is expressed as pH or the logarithmic concentration of hydrogen ion concentration in water. In-situ pH measurements show that acidity of the surface water was increasing because of the excavated outcrops and uranium tailings. Radium contamination comes from the near-surface uranium deposit in this field. The water collected downstream from the outcrop’s surface have locally anomalous concentrations of radium. Fine-grained sediments downstream from the mine contain dissolved radium from uranium effluent. Analysis showed that radionuclide and the heavy metal dispersion was relatively limited in the local small area. But potential risks are available for the local ecosystem in a case of ground water contamination.