PHYTOSTABILIZATION OF FLUVIAL TAILINGS DEPOSITS IN THE CLARK FORK RIVER FLOODPLAIN

• DOI: 10.21000/jasmr06021371
• Publication Date: 2016-03-24T19:58:07Z
• Authors: Dennis R. Neuman; William M. Schafer
• Keywords: Fork (system call)

Butte, Montana is the site of a world class copper deposit that has been mined nearly continuously since 1870's.Tailings deposits, legacy early mining practices, are abundant in floodplain Clark Fork River, which its headwaters near Butte.Tailings released by large-scale flooding 1900's form patchwork floodplain.Waters contact pyriterich tailings generally acidic and contain elevated copper, zinc, arsenic levels.Thinner deposits (e.g. less than 15 cm) fully oxidized have become naturally re-vegetated.In areas with thicker low pH (3 to 4.5) persists devoid vegetation.Evaporation from bare concentrates metal sulfate salts at or surface.The susceptible erosion water flowing across dissolves metals contributes loads River.In middle late 1980's, large fish kills occurred after thunderstorms rinsed soluble metals, especially into river.In 1990 1991, 4 km River Warm Springs, Montana, was reclaimed using liming both deep conventional tillage techniques reduce mobility allow reestablishment vegetation.Successful stabilization soils amply demonstrated phytostabilization proposed as cornerstone remediation efforts for superfund site.Environmental monitoring Demonstration project over 14 year period described this paper.