clean-up of lincoln park, colorado introduction the source of the problem the area effected
TRANSCRIPT
Clean-up of Lincoln Park, Colorado
Introduction
The Source of the problem
The area effected
Clean-up of Lincoln Park, Colorado
• 1958 – the Cotter Corporation began milling uranium ore outside Canon city, Colorado.
• Canon mill has a nominal capacity of 1,200 tons per day;– Is operated with acid or alkaline leach circuit.
• The mill operations produced unwanted metals and radioactive particles.
• Before 1980 these waste products were disposed of in unlined ponds.
• Contaminants leached into the groundwater, and surrounding soils.
• The contaminants migrated to the surrounding area including the residential area of Lincoln Park.
Background;
ContaminantsContaminants Ground
WaterSurface Water
Air Soil Other
Molybdenum • • •Molybdenum Compounds • • •Radium •Selenium • •Uranium • •Vanadium •Vanadium Compounds
•Lead • •
Cleanup methods used;
• Moving contaminated land into a lined impoundment.
–Excavation of soils and moving them to a confined site.
Cleanup methods used;
• Flushing and chemically fixing contaminates in the old “pond”In situ process, selected aqueous chemicals are injected into the soils,
After being contacted with contaminated material, the solution is collected using a pump – and – treat method.
Cleanup methods used;
• Constructing a ground water barrier around the soil consolidation area.
Ground water
Soil Consolidation area
Cleanup methods used;
• Constructing a permeable reactive barrier treatment wall
Alternative Methods
• In situ Vitrification– Immobilizing metal and radonuclide contaminants in the
subsurface.
• In situ redox– Injecting chemical reductants into the ground to create reducing
conditions that immobilize the contaminants.
• Electrokinetic systems– An electric field is applied to the soil to either stabilize the
contaminants in situ or to mobilize the for extraction.
• Photoremediation– Specially selected plants and grown and harvested after taking
up the contaminants.