International Groundwater

Consultant
Contamination Plume Migration During Kartika Pranoto
Sally Al-Qaragholi
Reclamation of Bear Creek Uranium
Mill Site
Collaboration with Wyoming State
 Abstract

This report is a result from investigation of contamination plume migration

during reclamation of Bear Creek Uranium mill site with collaboration from Wyoming
State. This Project was analyzed and simulated using PHREEQC software to calculate
the contaminant transport from the tailing pond of Bear Creek Uranium after the
reclamation. The tailing water is containing heavy metals and radioactive compound.
Several assumptions were made to simplify the simulation model, to reduce the
uncertainty the assumption was based on the hydrogeological modeling result that has
been done by Wyoming State. According to the result, the reclamation plan will require
very long time to recover the groundwater condition in this area. To improve the
recovery process, it is recommended to pump out the water from the well 1 and treat the
pumped water in water treatment plant.

Keyword: PHREEQC, Tailing water, Reclamation, Groundwater recovery

1
Table of Content

Abstract ................................................................................... 1
Introduction ............................................................................... 3
Background ......................................................................... 3
Objectives ........................................................................... 3
Method and Methodology ................................................... 3
Conceptual Model .............................................................. 3
Theory ................................................................................ 5
Result ...................................................................................... 5
Discussion ................................................................................ 10
Conclusion and Recommendation ........................................... 11
References .............................................................................. 12
Appendix 1 ............................................................................... 12
Appendix 2 ............................................................................... 13
Appendix 3 ............................................................................... 14
Appendix 4 ............................................................................... 15

2
Introduction

Background

International Groundwater Consultant is an international company that has experienced

for more than 50 years working in various groundwater project. Our dedication is to
create a better future for our groundwater quality.

In this project, GIC is collaborating with the Wyoming State of USA to investigate the
contamination plume migration during reclamation of tailing pond from Bear Creek
Uranium mining site, Wyoming, USA

Objectives

IGC role in this project is to study the reclamation plan and the side effect that will occur
by simulating the degradation/precipitation of minerals content and pH changes during 5
years after installation. The simulation also extended until 10 years to see the changes
of groundwater properties after the contamination flushed.

Methods and methodology

These methods are using general view and sufficient understanding based on data
given by Wyoming state, and simulations were done by software PHREEQC.
PHREEQC is a general geochemical program and is applicable to many
hydrogeochemical environments it can be used as a speciation program to calculate
saturation indices and the distribution of aqueous species (Wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov, 2019)

Conceptual model

The reclamation of Bear Creek Uranium pond will be done by installing a low permeable
cover to prevent further filtration. Tailing water has pH between 1.5 and 3.5, a total
dissolved solids (TDS) close to 20,000 mg/l, and high concentrations of As, Be, Cd, Cr,
Pb, Mo, Ni, Se, Ra, Th and U. Seepage from the disposal ponds into the underlying
sand and alluvium aquifer of the Upper Wasatch Formation has formed an acid plume

The simulation was create using a model within 800 meters of the groundwater aquifer,
below and downstream of the tailings ponds (Figure 1). This model then divided into 4
zones based on the location of the wells around the tailing point (TS-3).

3
Table 1. Zone Division
Zone Distance (m)

1 TS-3 to Well 1 100

2 Well 1 to well 2 140

3 Well 2 to well 3 300

4 Well 3 to well 4 260

Figure 1. A cross-section of the studied site of Bear Creek Uranium

Based on the data are given by Wyoming State, the simulation was done using the
estimated parameters value

Table 2. Estimated parameters Value

Parameter Value Unit

Pore water flow velocity 50 m/year

Longitudinal dispersivity 10 m

Molecular diffusion coeff 0 m2 /s

4
Some assumption was made to simplify the simulation. Based on Hydrogeological
modeling from Wyoming State, assumption for incoming fluid for the first 5 years has
the chemistry of tailings pore water. After 5 years the incoming fluid will be turn to
uncontaminated groundwater. Chemical reaction state was assumed to happen 1 bar,
25oC. Redox potential is affected by two of species sulphate (SO4 2-) and the iron (Fe3+),
so it assumed in PHREEQC as “Redox = pe”

*The properties for the zone and the incoming fluid is attached in Appendix 2

Theory

This simulation is based on transport theorem, In the transport theorem there are three
major flow; advection, dispersion, and diffusion. Advection is groundwater movement
that caused by pressure and gravitational energy (Dirk Schulze, 2019). Dispersion is a
phenomenon which a solute in flowing ground water is mixed with contaminated ground
water and become reduces the concentration. While diffusion is a process that happen
in ionic and molecular species where the water moves from area with higher
concentration to the area with lower concentration. (Fetter, 2014)

In this model we assumed the transport only affected by advection and dispersion. The
plume contaminant in the ground water will moved due to gravitational energy and
pressure. The water will flow from elevation 1565 m to the 1545 m, and the dispersion
process will be happened as longitudinal dispersion.

Result

The figures (2) and (7) shows the results of variation of PH for five years and ten years
respectively. For five years the PH changed between 3 to 6.08 in compare with 10-
years the changes in PH values from 6.5 to 5,6. The degraded minerals are: Calcite,
Al(OH)3, and Gypsum shows in figures (3, 4 and 6) for five years besides the figures
(8,9 and 11) present the degradation of the same minerals for ten years. It realized the
Al(OH)3 and Gypsum were completely degraded through the time but the Calcite is not
completely degraded after ten years the concentration of Calcite is equal to 0.05 mol/l.

5
Figure 2. The pH variation for 5-years.

Figure 3. The degradation of Calcite for 5-years.

Figure 4. The degradation of Al(OH)3 for 5-year.

6
Figure 5. the precipitation of Fe(OH)3 for 5-years

Figure 6. The degradation of Gypsum for 5-years

For the Iron (III) hydroxide figure 5present the concentration of Fe(OH)3 for five years
increased from 0.35 to 1.23 mol/l so, the Fe(OH)3 precipitated through 5-years. In
comparison with ten years the concentration of Iron (III) hydroxide stay in a stable
condition around 1.35 mol/l see figure (10).

7
Figure 7. The PH variation for 10-years

Figure 8. the degradation of Calcite for 10-years.

8
Figure 9. The degradation of Al(OH)3 for 10-years.

Figure 10. The precipitation of Fe(OH)3 for 10-years

9
Figure 11. the degradation of Gypsum for 10-years

Discussion

Based on 10 years simulation the pH equilibrium is shifted through the simulated year
using advection and dispersion process. For the first 5 year the incoming fluid was
contaminated by the tailing pore water with pH 3.8. During the transport from zone 1 to
zone 4 the pH increasing and reach the final equilibrium at pH 6.08. After another 5
years the incoming fluid was turned to fresh groundwater with pH 7.4. From the
simulation result, the pH equilibrium shifting to 5.6.

Comparing the pH simulation and mineral simulation, the shifting equilibrium was
affected by precipitation and degradation of the mineral. Calcite and Al(OH) 3 acts as
buffering agent that will helps to retain the pH (Svensson, 2011). Comparison of Figure
2 to figure 3 and 4, shows that the Al(OH)3 will retain the pH at first equilibrium (red
line) while the Calcite will retain the pH at final equilibrium (black line). After 5 years
calcite and Al(OH)3 concentration will be decreased significantly and resulting the lower
pH in final equilibrium especially in 10 years simulation. The pH value will be lower,
when calcite and Al(OH)3 fully decreased.

All of the mineral except Fe(OH)3 in this simulation shows the degradation process.
From the overall concentration (Appendix 3), the concentration Fe(OH)3 is increasing,
shows that the amount of iron will be precipitate as Fe(OH)3 solid. The iron precipitation
will be affected by the iron concentration in tailing water, uncontaminated groundwater,

10
and the degradation of gypsum. Gypsum degradation will be affecting the sulphate
concentration and changes the redox condition of the simulation. The percent error of
electroneutrality are around 75.46% due to the high concentration of heavy metals and
radioactive component from the tailing water as it referred to in conceptual model.

Conclusion and Recommendation

From the simulation result, it can be concluded that, minerals affected each other.
Calcite and Al(OH)3 acts as buffering agent that work to retain the pH and the pH value
will be decreased when the Calcite and Al(OH)3 completely degraded. Fe(OH)3 and
Gypsum are important redox constituent in the groundwater, and the iron presence in
the contaminated water and fresh ground water will precipitate the Fe(OH)3 in solid
phase.

Based on the 10 years simulation, the low pH indicates the contamination of the tailing
water still there. The longer time 13 years simulation was done to see the pH in the
water, after 13 years, the pH seems to increase slowly, and the precipitation on Fe(OH)3
comes into stagnation. That means that to recover ground water condition in this area
with reclamation will require very long time.

There are some simplifications and assumptions behind the simulation that should be
considered when interpreting the results. The transport is assumed to be through
advection and dispersion. There is probably some retardation acting in the soil as well,
especially when radioactive component present in the ground water. In this case
horizontal advection, and longitudinal dispersion are good estimation to use as this
usually gives a quick “worst-case scenario”, as the other transport processes tend to
slow the transport down.

To prevent the plume contamination on the site, it recommended to pumping out the
water from well 1, because contamination is concentrated in well 1 area. The water from
the well 1 need to be transported to the treatment plant. The water needs to treated
according to the standard water discharge before discharged.

11
References

Fetter, C. (2014). Applied hydrogeology. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education.

Svensson, Conny. 2011. Groundwater Chemistry, A Hydrogeological Introduction.

Departement of Engineering Geology: Lund University

wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov. (2019). Program Capabilities. [online] Available at:

https://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/projects/GWC_coupled/phreeqc/html/final-3.html [Accessed
14 Mar. 2019].

Dirk Schulze, M. (2019). [online] Eolss.net. Available at: https://www.eolss.net/Sample-

Chapters/C07/E2-09-03-05.pdf [Accessed 14 Mar. 2019].

Appendix 1

The calculations of time step

Pore water flow velocity =50 m/year
Transport processes = 800 meters
The time shift =800/50 =16 years
16 years/200 cells = 0.08 year
Time step =5/0.08 =62.5 ̴ 63

12
Appendix 2

Table A.1. Initial condition of the Aquifer

13
Appendix 3

Figure A.3. Average comparison of mineral in the aquifer

14
Appendix 4
Input Data

15
16
17