PMID- 28963653
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20181031
LR  - 20181113
IS  - 1614-7499 (Electronic)
IS  - 0944-1344 (Linking)
VI  - 24
IP  - 34
DP  - 2017 Dec
TI  - Five-year performance monitoring of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) cover 
      system at a reclaimed mine waste rock pile in the Sydney Coalfield (Nova Scotia, 
      Canada).
PG  - 26744-26762
LID - 10.1007/s11356-017-0288-4 [doi]
AB  - Cover systems are commonly placed over waste rock piles (WRPs) to limit 
      atmospheric water and oxygen ingress and control the generation and release of 
      acid mine drainage (AMD) to the receiving environment. Although covers containing 
      geomembranes such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) exhibit the attributes to 
      be highly effective, there are few, if any, published studies monitoring their 
      performance at full-scale WRPs. In 2011, a HDPE cover was installed over the 
      Scotchtown Summit WRP in Nova Scotia, Canada, and extensive field performance 
      monitoring was conducted over the next five years. A range of parameters within 
      the atmosphere, cover, waste rock, groundwater and surface water, were monitored 
      and integrated into a comprehensive hydrogeochemical conceptual model to assess 
      (i) atmospheric ingress to the waste rock, (ii) waste rock acidity and depletion 
      and (iii) evolution of groundwater and surface water quality. Results demonstrate 
      that the cover is effective and meeting site closure objectives. Depletion in 
      oxygen influx resulted in slower sulphide oxidation and AMD generation, while a 
      significant reduction in water influx (i.e. 512 to 50 mm/year) resulted in 
      diminished AMD release. Consistent improvements in groundwater quality (decrease 
      in sulphate and metals; increase in pH) beneath and downgradient of the WRP were 
      observed. Protection and/or significant improvement in surface water quality was 
      evident in all surrounding watercourses due to the improved groundwater plume and 
      elimination of contaminated runoff over previously exposed waste rock. A variably 
      saturated flow and contaminant transport model is currently being developed to 
      predict long-term cover system performance.
FAU - Power, Christopher
AU  - Power C
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0003-2389-4214
AD  - Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment, Cape Breton 
      University, Sydney, NS, Canada. chris_power@cbu.ca.
FAU - Ramasamy, Murugan
AU  - Ramasamy M
AD  - Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment, Cape Breton 
      University, Sydney, NS, Canada.
FAU - MacAskill, Devin
AU  - MacAskill D
AD  - Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment, Cape Breton 
      University, Sydney, NS, Canada.
AD  - Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Sydney, NS, Canada.
FAU - Shea, Joseph
AU  - Shea J
AD  - Public Works and Government Services Canada, Sydney, NS, Canada.
FAU - MacPhee, Joseph
AU  - MacPhee J
AD  - Public Works and Government Services Canada, Sydney, NS, Canada.
FAU - Mayich, David
AU  - Mayich D
AD  - David Mayich Consulting, Sydney, NS, Canada.
FAU - Baechler, Fred
AU  - Baechler F
AD  - exp Services Inc., Sydney, NS, Canada.
FAU - Mkandawire, Martin
AU  - Mkandawire M
AD  - Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment, Cape Breton 
      University, Sydney, NS, Canada.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20170929
PL  - Germany
TA  - Environ Sci Pollut Res Int
JT  - Environmental science and pollution research international
JID - 9441769
RN  - 0 (Water Pollutants)
RN  - 0 (Water Pollutants, Chemical)
RN  - 9002-88-4 (Polyethylene)
SB  - IM
MH  - Environmental Monitoring/*methods
MH  - Groundwater/chemistry
MH  - *Mining
MH  - Models, Theoretical
MH  - Nova Scotia
MH  - Polyethylene/*chemistry
MH  - *Waste Disposal Facilities
MH  - Water Pollutants/analysis
MH  - Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Acid mine drainage
OT  - Contaminant remediation
OT  - Environmental monitoring
OT  - Geomembrane liner
OT  - Hydrogeochemistry
EDAT- 2017/10/01 06:00
MHDA- 2018/11/01 06:00
CRDT- 2017/10/01 06:00
PHST- 2017/06/01 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2017/09/20 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2017/10/01 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2018/11/01 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2017/10/01 06:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1007/s11356-017-0288-4 [pii]
AID - 10.1007/s11356-017-0288-4 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2017 Dec;24(34):26744-26762. doi: 
      10.1007/s11356-017-0288-4. Epub 2017 Sep 29.