Water treatment is common practice. Trying to backfill at this point is not typical. They apparently are processing tailings soon, but that’s more about more mining with some cleanup benefits. Folks that live up there just found out and are eager to learn more.
Building and maintaining a water treatment plant doesn't sound feasible, especially in the longterm sounds like a bandaid on a gushing femoral artery. Back filling sounds problematic without pumping out the whole mine. Anything short of a full pump out and full fill would cause a Durango, CO orange tang disaster. What could the mine be back filled with. Loacal sulfide rock would just increase the surface area increasing the leaching of sulfer. Would limestone ( or another base ph stone)help or eventually just dissolve away.
The Yellowstone fisheries are robust since the system is naturally buffered. Elkhorn Creek and Wise River, not so much. It’s possible these streams have other issues, but an unnatural, unbuffered influx of acid mine water likely doesn’t help. If one doesn’t care about such things, that’s a choice. I care…
Good work. This stuff doesn’t get discussed enough.
That’s really terrible for everyone. Thanks for highlighting it.
I enjoy your videos. Could you perhaps someday discuss the geology around Fairmont hot springs?
Absolutely…
Is there a method to stop the acid mine drainage from the mine or is remediation and stream treatment the only options?
Water treatment is common practice. Trying to backfill at this point is not typical. They apparently are processing tailings soon, but that’s more about more mining with some cleanup benefits. Folks that live up there just found out and are eager to learn more.
Building and maintaining a water treatment plant doesn't sound feasible, especially in the longterm sounds like a bandaid on a gushing femoral artery.
Back filling sounds problematic without pumping out the whole mine. Anything short of a full pump out and full fill would cause a Durango, CO orange tang disaster.
What could the mine be back filled with. Loacal sulfide rock would just increase the surface area increasing the leaching of sulfer. Would limestone ( or another base ph stone)help or eventually just dissolve away.
If the earth minerals are peculating into the water then so be it. Would you like to purify Yellowstone too?
The Yellowstone fisheries are robust since the system is naturally buffered. Elkhorn Creek and Wise River, not so much. It’s possible these streams have other issues, but an unnatural, unbuffered influx of acid mine water likely doesn’t help. If one doesn’t care about such things, that’s a choice. I care…