Drainage Streams Research Articles

Morphometric Analysis of Waghora Micro Watershed of Jam River Basin Using ALOS-PALSAR DEM

Intergrating Remote sensing and Geographic Information System(GIS) Proves useful for Evaluating and understanding morphometric parameters, especially Watershed Management of - Soil and Water Conservation at microlevel for sustainable Natural Resource management. The Linear , Areal and Relief characteristics of the basins Drainage can be analytsed Morphometrically. In this investigation, geospatial techniques were employed to assess the hydrological features of the Waghora Micro watershed within the Jam River basin, covering an area of 13.03 km². Utilizing the ALOS-PALSAR RTC DEM -12.5 m resolution, the basin and drainage network were delineated using ArcGIS software. The analysis revealed a dendritic drainage pattern within the Waghora micro-watershed, with drainage streams delineated up to the fourth order. The ratio of bifurcation (Rb) can be ranged within ~ 3 - 4.66, with an mean average of 3.76, showcases Geologic Structures are undistorted and the drainage system sorted by moderate peaks and lower orer streams. Additional morphometric parameters were assessed, using Form-factor(Rf), Circulatory-Ratio(Rc), and finally Elongation-Ratio(Re) values of 0.32, 0.68, and 0.62 respectively. This is a clear indication of Micro watershed being moderately Elongated with time. The Estimated Relief, Relief Ratio(Rr), relative Relief (RR) and Ruggedness Ratio Number were determined to be 75 m, 1.2, 0.97, respectively, indicating a moderate erosion potential. Overall, the study underscores the necessity for implementing – Soil and Water Conservation measures to be taken within the watershed. These findings hold significant implications for various stakeholders, including managers and decision-makers involved in Management of Watersheds and Conservation of the Natural resources using sustainable initiatives.

Innovative pilot-scale process for sustainable rare earth oxide production from coal byproducts: A comprehensive environmental impact assessment

This study developed a pilot-scale process feeding with two different materials resulting from a column leaching process and acid mine drainage (AMD) streams to recover rare earth elements (REEs). A life cycle assessment (LCA) study was done to evaluate the environmental impacts of rare earth production from deleterious material in the form of highly contaminated leachate (HCL) and low-contaminated leachate (LCL). The results indicate that the main contributors to environmental categories that produce RE-hydroxide stages are NaOH and electricity. Also, oxalic acid, Na2CO3, and hydrochloric acid significantly contribute to the production stage of individual rare earth oxides (REOs), including solvent extraction (SX) and precipitation steps. The HCL route has higher environmental impacts than LCL due to higher chemical/energy and H2SO4 usage, so 468 and 292 kg of carbon dioxide are generated to produce 1 t of individual REOs from HCL and LCL routes, respectively. Moreover, the carbon dioxide emitted from the process, including the RE-hydroxide production, SX, and REOs production, is less than 10 t CO2. A sensitivity analysis was also performed to assess the changeability of the environmental footprints of the main inputs in the SX process, as the main stage has a higher contribution to the whole process. This LCA study is the first step toward understanding the environmental influence of new processing methods to produce REEs from coal by-products through a developed pilot-scale process.

Metal-oxide precipitation influences microbiome structure in hyporheic zones receiving acid rock drainage.

In streams receiving acid-rock and mine drainage, the abundant precipitation of iron minerals can alter how groundwater and surface water mix along streams (in what is known as the "hyporheic zone") and may shape the distribution of microbial communities. The findings presented here suggest that neutral pH streams with large, well-mixed hyporheic zones may harbor and transport diverse microorganisms attached to particles/colloids through hyporheic pore spaces. In acidic streams where metal oxides clog pore spaces and limit hyporheic exchange, iron-oxidizing bacteria may dominate and phylogenetic diversity becomes low. The abundance of iron-oxidizing bacteria in acid mine drainage streams has the potential to contribute to additional clogging of hyporheic pore spaces and the accumulation of toxic metals in the hyporheic zone. This research highlights the dynamic interplay between hydrology, geochemistry, and microbiology at the groundwater-surface water interface of acid mine drainage streams.

Dhaka city water logging hazards: area identification and vulnerability assessment through GIS-remote sensing techniques

Water logging is one of the most detrimental phenomena continuing to burden Dhaka dwellers. This study aims to spatio-temporarily identify the water logging hazard zones within Dhaka Metropolitan area and assess the extent of their water logging susceptibility based on informal settlements, built-up areas, and demographical characteristics. The study utilizes integrated geographic information system (GIS)-remote sensing (RS) methods, using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Water and Moisture Index, distance buffer zone from drainage streams, and built-up distributions to identify waterlogged zones with a temporal extent, incorporating social and infrastructural attributes to evaluate water logging effects. These indicators were integrated into an overlay GIS method to measure the vulnerability level across Dhaka city areas. The findings reveal that south and south-western parts of Dhaka were more susceptible to water logging hazards. Almost 35% of Dhaka belongs to the high/very highly vulnerable zone. Greater number of slum households were found within high to very high water logging vulnerable zones and approximately 70% of them are poorly structured. The built-up areas were observed to be increased toward the northern part of Dhaka and were exposed to severe water logging issues. The overall findings reveal the spatio-temporal distribution of the water logging vulnerabilities across the city as well as its impact on the social indicators. An integrated approach is necessary for future development plans to mitigate the risk of water logging.

Remote Sensing and GIS-Based Suitability Mapping of Termite Habitat in the African Savanna: A Case Study of the Lowveld in Kruger National Park

Termites (Isoptera) are among the most globally dominant macroinvertebrates in terrestrial environments and are an ecologically important group of soil biota in tropical and subtropical ecosystems. These insects function as essential ecosystem engineers that facilitate nutrient cycling, especially in the regulation of the physical and chemical properties of soil and the decomposition of organic matter that maintains heterogeneity in tropical and subtropical ecosystems. Termites, like all living organisms, require certain environmental parameters to support the distribution, abundance, and activities of the species. South Africa’s Kruger National Park (KNP)—one of the most important protected areas in the world and a popular safari tourist destination—is an extraordinary savanna ecosystem in which termite mounds, or termitaria, are widely distributed. A range of biotic and abiotic factors found in the natural environment of KNP provide highly suitable ecological conditions for termite habitat range, and thus the development of termitaria. Previous research has shown that the most important factors affecting habitat suitability for termites and the geographic distribution of termitaria include climate factors, land cover, and other environmental characteristics such as soil composition and plant-litter biomass. However, the specific environmental mechanisms that regulate termite occurrence and the spatial distribution of termitaria in KNP are not fully understood, especially in the context of climate and land-cover changes. The present study examines the relationship between the spatial distribution of termitaria and selected climate and environmental factors in the Kruger Lowveld region, which contains one of the largest numbers of termitaria in KNP. Using high-resolution satellite imagery, 8200 training points of termitaria occurrence were collected throughout the study area to train classifiers and produce land-cover-classification maps for the Kruger Lowveld region of interest. We then applied a hybrid approach through the integration of remote sensing (RS) and a GIS-based analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and frequency-ratio (FR) methods to model the relationship between the spatial distribution of termitaria and selected environmental variables and to produce suitability maps. To our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to examine the influence of combined sets of environmental attributes on the spatial distribution of termitaria in the Lowveld region of KNP. The results indicate that moderately and highly suitable conditions for termite range tolerance and termitaria development are correlated with undulating plains with clay soils, greater distance to drainage streams, high solar radiation, and low depth of groundwater. The findings of this study shed light on the need for future research that investigates the impact of climate and land-cover changes on termite habitat range and spatial distribution and that can inform park managers and policymakers about Kruger National Park and other protected areas with similar environmental conditions.

Hydrogeochemical variability and appraisal of water quality of groundwater in Mahoba district, Uttar Pradesh, India

Mahoba district comes under the state of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.), India which is a part of mighty Bundelkhand Granitic Terrain known for its water debt condition. The region is hard rock terrain having recent alluvium cover of variable thickness relating to slope and level of erosion. Secondary porosity i.e. in the fractures and cracks present hosts the groundwater in the study area. The high-water scarcity and poor drinking quality led us to carry out our research work in the study area. The water facies analysed shows Ca–Mg–HCO3 and Na–HCO3 water types which indicated their compositional source from rock and anthropogenic inputs. Majority of the samples showed the dominance of alkaline earths over alkalies and weak acids over stronger counterparts. The correlation coefficients calculated between hydrochemical parameters projects a strong positive correlation of EC and TDS with most of the major ions, including SO42−, NO3−. The hierarchical cluster analysis of all samples was classified into five clusters (C1A, C1B, C2A, C2B1 and C2B2). The sites of cluster C1 water samples were found located closer to drainage streams than C2 cluster water samples. The excessive fertilizers, unplanned municipal wastes and agricultural wastes resulted in high SO42− and NO3−. High F− showed concentration in various samples may have geogenic sources due to flour-apatite in granitic terrain and Fe found in excess gives an unpleasant taste on drinking. The analysed irrigation parameters (%Na, MR, TDS, RSC, SAR, TH, and KI) revealed perfect under permissible quality. Various negative human health issues like indigestion, bone problems, alimentary canal problems have been seen due to excess of SO42−, NO3− and F−). The study reflects the need for immediate preventive measures to improve drinking quality from health alarming ion concentrations and also would help for further management programs.

RS- and GIS-based modeling for optimum site selection in rain water harvesting system: an SCS-CN approach

In this study, an integrated approach has been adopted for optimum selection of locations for rain water harvesting (RWH) in Kohat district of Pakistan. Various thematic layers including runoff depth, land cover/land use, slope and drainage density have been incorporated as input to the analysis. Other biophysical criteria such as geological setup, soil texture and drainage streams characteristics were also taken into account. Drainage density and slope were derived from digital elevation model, and map of land use/land cover was prepared using supervised classification of multi-spectral Sentinel-2 images of the area. Aforementioned thematic layers are assigned respective weights of their importance and combined in GIS environment to form a RWH potential map of the region. The generated suitability map is classified into three potential zones: high, moderate and low suitability zones consisting of area 638 km2 (21%), 1859 km2 (62%) and 519 km2 (17%), respectively. The suitability map has been used to mark accumulation points on the down streams as potential spots of water storage. In addition, site suitability of artificial structures for RWH consisting of farm ponds, check dams and percolation tanks has also been assessed, showing 3.2%, 3% and 4.5% of the total area as a fit for each of the structure, respectively. The derived suitability will aid policy makers to easily determine potential sites for RWH structures to store water and tackle acute paucity of water in the area.

Delineating flood hazards using the interpreted structural setting and GIS in Attaif, western Saudi Arabia

Attaif is one of the most flooded areas in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia due to its topography, being located at the eastern coast of the Red Sea. In the present study, we used the aeromagnetic data and the GIS techniques in order to understand the behaviour of the flood and its relation to geological structures. The aeromagnetic data can be used for mapping tectonic features, geologic contacts, and structures of the buried basement terrain. The structural lineaments (e.g. faults, which cause the formation of major basins) were deduced from magnetic maps. The basin trends reflect the structural elements that control the drainage of flood towards the basins and sub-basins. In the study, a direct relationship between the lineament features and the drainage streams was found. Besides, the database of the geological features was built using GIS capabilities. The geomorphic characteristics of a drainage basin represent a significant function in controlling the basin’s hydrology. The hydrologic data was extracted from the DEM data by using the flow accumulation grid tool. Moreover, the spatial distribution of drainage basins and the morphometric analysis was achieved by using the ArcGIS software. Besides, the evaluation of different morphometric parameters represented the land’s topographic expression. The results revealed that Attaif is crossed by three major flood basins, which are controlled by deep geological structures.

The road drainage planning for flood control in Dr. Djunjunan road, Pasteur – Bandung

Recently, flood is an important phenomenon which often occurs in cities recently. The Case of this paper is the flood in Dr. Junjunan Road which is the one of high density roads in Bandung and the main road to Cipularang Toll Road. The flood’s inundation depth on this road is up to 40-50cm, and the average of flood duration is about 30 minutes. The rainfall used for calculation in this research is a return period 25 years with the rainfall value of 80.1 mm. The solution for reducing the floods is by increasing the drainage capacity as well as increasing the water infiltration to the ground. The research method uses the physical experimental model, using the scale mode of 1:30. The experimental results are tested through validation process using Hec-RAS 5.0.7. The experiment uses two variables, in which changing two drainage streams and diverting a river which leads to Citepus river through Box Culvert. The results of the validating model indicate that increasing the drainage capacity along the Road is the most effective solution in decreasing the potential of floods.

Allocating Underground Dam Sites Using Remote Sensing and GIS Case Study on the Southwestern Plain of Tehran Province, Iran

Systematic planning for extraction of underground water resources using the modern techniques is an essential task for appropriate use, protection and management of these vital resources. This study aims to develop a method for determining appropriate locations for underground dam (UGD) construction with the help of geospatial and multi-criteria analysis. This study was conducted over an area of 3396 km2 located in the southwest of Tehran province. The geographic information system, remote sensing and the mathematical method of the analytical hierarchy process were used to produce a map for the five categories from very high potential areas to very low potential ones, which indicate the suitability for UGD construction. The map was produced with the input variables such as precipitation, recharge, geological situation, lineament density, slope, density of the drainage streams and depth of groundwater. The weights for each factor were assigned according to its effect on the groundwater potential, and finally, the map was produced from the spatial weight model. The map showed that the Tehran–Karaj plain has generally an average potential for constructing UGDs with an area of 1562 km2, which covers 46% of the whole study area. The results of this study and obtained maps provide the useful information that can be used by decision makers and managers in exploration and optimal management of groundwater resources.

Seasonal Variation and Retention of Ammonium in Small Agricultural Streams in Central Thailand

Elevated nutrient concentrations are of concern in many agricultural streams. This study observed seasonal variation of inorganic nitrogen concentrations in small drainage streams that receive discharge predominantly from three different types of agricultural practices, swine farms, aquaculture, and paddy fields, in the Tha Chin River Basin in central Thailand. The drainage streams had high inorganic nitrogen concentrations, low dissolved oxygen concentrations (<3 mg L−1), and ammonium was the dominant form of inorganic nitrogen. The highest ammonium concentrations were observed in the drainage streams through swine farm areas, exceeding 4 mg L−1 throughout the year. In-stream ammonium retention was examined using pulse co-injections of ammonium and chloride in a drainage stream, and the effects of in-channel vegetation on ammonium retention were evaluated. This study showed that a considerable amount of ammonium was retained with the presence of in-channel vegetation. After vegetation removal, both the hydraulic and ammonium uptake length increased by >50 m, and the ammonium retention declined by approximately 50%. These results suggest that small agricultural streams experience a high concentration of inorganic nitrogen, similar or even more than larger streams, and that in-channel vegetation plays important role in nitrogen retention. The management of in-channel vegetation will have considerable effects on nitrogen transport.

Impact of acid mine drainage and hydrogeochemical studies in a part of Rajrappa coal mining area of Ramgarh District, Jharkhand State of India

Groundwater quality studies of coal mining areas are very important due to coal explorations, dumping of huge quantity of over burdens, and subsequently mixing with the coal mine drainage areas. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the possible influence of acid mine drainage (AMD), in the groundwater in terms of major ions, trace elements and identifying the hydrogeochemical characteristics, in the Rajrappa coal mining area in the central part of India. The results show that groundwater is generally neutral to alkaline in nature. The major ions and trace elements concentrations in the groundwater samples were found to be below the permissible limits based on WHO guidelines and suitable for the drinking water purposes. Few wells show a higher order in certain parameters due to impact local geologic strata. The piper diagram shows two major hydrochemical water types represents, such as Ca-Mg-Cl, and Ca-Mg-HCO3 types. Based on major ion concentrations and its minor variations are indicative of the stable geochemical and hydrologic environments, which controls the groundwater chemistry in the coal mining area. Geochemical evolution of the groundwater chemistry mainly controls by the natural geochemical processes such as mineral dissolution, rock-water interactions and mineral precipitation processes. Saturation index studies show that, groundwater samples were near saturation to equilibrium conditions with the carbonate phase minerals of calcite and dolomite and undersaturated with gypsum and anhydrite. Secondary minerals of Fe and Mn – sulphate and carbonate phase species are in undersaturated conditions. The shorter residence times of groundwater in the wells, lack of acid mine drainage generating conditions and the impact of dilution during high base flows are diluting the coal mining drainage streams and making a negligible impact of acid mine drainage.

The Utilization of GIS in Revealing the Reasons behind Flooding Ras Gharib City, Egypt

Flash floods in Egypt are considered the worst weather-related natural disasters. They are dangerous as they suddenly and unpredictably occur. Ras Gharib City is one of the recent cities that was subjected to a destructive flash flood in October 2016. The city was founded 85 years ago and it has no flood hazard history. This paper presents the utilization of GIS environment in estimating the drainage streams discharging towards the city using Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) 30m spatial resolution. Two scenarios are conducted in this study to show why Ras Gharib was subjected to a flash flood. In the first scenario, a drainage map is conducted using the normal elevations extracted from the topographic map. In the second scenario, a drainage map is conducted using the same extracted elevations after elevating Minya - Ras Gharib Highway with 1.5m. The study shows that elevating the highway is the main reason of subjecting the city to this flood causing 11 dead people and 36 injured.

A New Species of Freshwater Eel-tailed Catfish of the Genus Tandanus (Teleostei: Plotosidae) from Coastal Rivers of Mid-northern New South Wales, Australia

Tandanus bellingerensis, new species, is described based on specimens from four river drainages (Bellinger, Macleay, Hastings, and Manning rivers) of the mid-northern coast of New South Wales, Australia. Previously, three species were recognized in the genus Tandanus: T. tropicanus of the wet tropics region of northeast Queensland, T. tandanus of the Murray-Darling drainage and coastal streams of central-southern Queensland and New South Wales, and T. bostocki of southwestern Western Australia. The new species is distinguished from all congeners by a combination of the following morphologic characters: a high count of rays in the continuous caudodorsal and anal fins (range 153–169, mode 159), a high count of gill rakers on the first arch (range 35–39, mode 36), and strongly recurved posterior serrae of the pectoral-fin spine. Additionally, results from previously conducted genetic studies corroborate morphologic and taxonomic distinctness of the new species.

Direct elemental sulphur recovery from gold acid mine drainage streams

The metal precipitates resulting from the neutralization and desalination processes of acid mine water with lime, limestone and barium carbonate are wastes identified as sludge. The composition of these sludges generally comprises hydrated manganese, magnesium hydroxides, gypsum and large amount of barite. Legislation requires that these sludges be disposed in an environmentally acceptable manner to prevent metals from leaching and entering the environment. However; the enormous volumes of sludge produced and the limited disposal spaces present major environmental and economic concerns for the development of a viable technology for acid mine water treatment. This paper assesses the conversion of CaSO4/Mg(OH)2 and BaSO4/CaCO3 generated in the water stage of the Alkali Barium Calcium desalination process into sulphur. Africa is a major importer of large tonnages of sulphur at high cost often inflated by the cost of transportation whilst sulphur itself remains a relatively cheap product. This paper investigates a) the reduction of BaSO4/CaCO3 and CaSO4/Mg(OH)2 sludges to barium and calcium sulphide; b) the stripping of the sulphide with CO2 gas and the production of sulphur. Thermal reduction study shows that BaSO4/CaCO3 and CaSO4/Mg(OH)2 sludges can be reduced to BaS/CaS with duff carbon in a muffle furnace operating at about 1100°C with BaS/CaS yield between 70 and 76%. The BaS/CaS formed was slurried in water and CO2 was used for the stripping of sulphide to form H2S gas and BaCO3/CaCO3 precipitate. The H2S generated was reacted with ferric sulphate to form elemental sulphur. Sulphur with purity between 95.2% and 99.1% was recovered from the sulphate rich wastes.

Towards a more accurate quantitative assessment of seasonal Cryptosporidium infection risks in surface waters using species and genotype information

Many Cryptosporidium species/genotypes are not considered infectious to humans, and more realistic estimations of seasonal infection risks could be made using human infectious species/genotype information to inform quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRA). Cryptosporidium oocyst concentration and species/genotype data were collected from three surface water surveillance programs in two river basins [South Nation River, SN (2004-09) and Grand River, GR (2005-13)] in Ontario, Canada to evaluate seasonal infection risks. Main river stems, tributaries, agricultural drainage streams, water treatment plant intakes, and waste water treatment plant effluent impacted sites were sampled. The QMRA employed two sets of exposure data to compute risk: one assuming all observed oocysts were infectious to humans, and the other based on the fraction of oocysts that were C. hominis and/or C. parvum (dominant human infectious forms of the parasite). Viability was not considered and relative infection risk was evaluated using a single hypothetical recreational exposure. Many sample site groupings for both river systems, had significant seasonality in Cryptosporidium occurrence and concentrations (p ≤ 0.05); occurrence and concentrations were generally highest in autumn for SN, and autumn and summer for GR. Mean risk values (probability of infection per exposure) for all sites combined, for each river system, were roughly an order of magnitude lower (avg. of SN and GR 5.3 × 10−5) when considering just C. parvum and C. hominis oocysts, in relation to mean infection risk (per exposure) assuming all oocysts were infectious to humans (5.5 × 10−4). Seasonality in mean risk (targeted human infectious oocysts only) was most strongly evident in SN (e.g., 7.9 × 10−6 in spring and 8.1 × 10−5 in summer). Such differences are important if QMRA is used to quantify effects of water safety/quality management practices where inputs from a vast array of fecal pollution sources can readily occur. Cryptosporidium seasonality in water appears to match the seasonality of human infections from Cryptosporidium in the study regions. This study highlights the importance of Cryptosporidium species/genotype data to help determine surface water pollution sources and seasonality, as well as to help more accurately quantify human infection risks by the parasite.

The effect of tile-drainage on nitrous oxide emissions from soils and drainage streams in a cropped landscape in Central France

Tile drainage may have contrasting effects on soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emission. Because drainage decreases anoxic periods in soils, it could reduce N2O production via denitrification and also limit the reduction of N2O into nitrogen gas (N2). Moreover, drainage accelerates the discharge of water enriched in dissolved N2O and mineral nitrogen. Thus, nitrogen losses and N2O releases from discharged surface water need to be quantified to assess the total effect of drainage on N2O emissions. Thus, the objectives of this study were two-fold: (1) to assess the effect of tile-drainage on soil N2O emissions in an agricultural area in Central France (direct emissions) and (2) to compare emissions from soils and from the stream draining the area (indirect emissions). The emissions of N2O by soils were measured using static chambers in two drained and two undrained cereal plots over two growing seasons. A rule-based model was fitted to identify the influence of drainage and ancillary variables. Stream N2O emissions were measured with a floating chamber during one growing season. The mean direct N2O emissions were 0.071mgNm−2h−1 and were larger in the undrained plots than in the drained plots in both growing seasons (p<0.001). The rule-based model showed that the drainage effect on N2O emissions was dominant over the permanent soil variables. The mean stream N2O emissions were 0.190mgNm−2h−1. The surface water emissions represented 31kgN during the flow period (7 months) while direct emissions were 1846kgN during the same period. Thus, indirect emissions accounted for <2% of the total N2O emissions in the study site. While tile-drainage did not result in significant indirect emissions at this local site scale, it was identified as the dominant factor controlling the direct soil N2O emissions. Thus, drainage should be taken into account in greenhouse gas emission inventories for larger areas.

A case in support of implementing innovative bio-processes in the metal mining industry.

The metal mining industry faces many large challenges in future years, among which is the increasing need to process low-grade ores as accessible higher grade ores become depleted. This is against a backdrop of increasing global demands for base and precious metals, and rare earth elements. Typically about 99% of solid material hauled to, and ground at, the land surface currently ends up as waste (rock dumps and mineral tailings). Exposure of these to air and water frequently leads to the formation of acidic, metal-contaminated run-off waters, referred to as acid mine drainage, which constitutes a severe threat to the environment. Formation of acid drainage is a natural phenomenon involving various species of lithotrophic (literally 'rock-eating') bacteria and archaea, which oxidize reduced forms of iron and/or sulfur. However, other microorganisms that reduce inorganic sulfur compounds can essentially reverse this process. These microorganisms can be applied on industrial scale to precipitate metals from industrial mineral leachates and acid mine drainage streams, resulting in a net improvement in metal recovery, while minimizing the amounts of leachable metals to the tailings storage dams. Here, we advocate that more extensive exploitation of microorganisms in metal mining operations could be an important way to green up the industry, reducing environmental risks and improving the efficiency and the economy of metal recovery.

Vertical and lateral spreading of highly mineralized acid drainage solutions (Ur dump, Salair): electrical resistivity tomography and hydrogeochemical data

Combined geophysical and geochemical investigations of drainage streams from sulfide-containing waste dumps of the Novo-Urskoe deposit allow determining two directions of highly mineralized toxic solutions. Surface drainage stream flows over the natural slope of the valley. In addition, along the natural fault, vertical penetration of drainage solutions into groundwater occurs to a depth of 20m. Based on geophysical-data interpretation, we assume that penetration of solutions into geologic environment leads to their dilution by groundwater, followed by a six-fold decrease in total mineralization.

Enrichment and Isolation of Acidophilic Microorganisms from Sediments of Gold Mine Waste Leachate

Microorganisms living in acidic environments associated with various types of mining wastes can be used for bioremediation of acid mine drainage (AMD) and related waste streams. We studied microbial diversity of the acidic sediments of a leachate puddle at the basement of a waste rock pile from gold mining in abandoned gold deposit in Martiga (Kemerovo region, West Siberia, Russia). The enrichments were established from four sediment samples with a pH ranging from 2.29 to 6.16. The enrichments cultures were set up at aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Pure cultures of bacteria involved in iron and sulfur oxidation were isolated. The isolated iron- and sulfur-oxidizing cultures were affiliated withAcidithiobacillusandAcidocellagenera as was revealed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Strains ofDesulfosporosinus-like spore-forming bacteria were isolated under anaerobic conditions. The pure culture isolates physiological and biochemical characterization is underway, which will provide new knowledge of AMD formation and natural processes of metal attenuation. The strains can also be prospective agents for use in bioleaching and bioremediation processes.