In the wake of the EPA-caused blowout of the Gold King mine near Silverton, Colorado, the Arizona Geological Survey examines the proper way to remediate a mine and treat acid drainage. Arizona State Geologist Dr. Lee Allison interviews Dr. Gail Heath, Research Professor, Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources, University of Arizona, during the AZ Mining Review of 08-26-2015. You can watch and listen to the interview on YouTube. This portion of the program runs from 7:44m to 19:30m.
Dr. Heath makes the following points on proper remediation:
1. There should be a secure, properly engineered dam inside the mine adit.
2. There needs to be a good understanding of connected mine workings.
3. There should be a controlled point to let water out of the mine to prevent pressure buildup.
4. There should be a wetlands structure outside the mine to collect drainage.
5. There needs to be real time monitoring of water inside the mine.
6. Acid mine water can be neutralized by bioremediation, i.e., use bacteria to precipitate metals out of the water as sulfides which would make the water much cleaner. To do this, the mine must be monitored from the surface through a drill hole so that the bacteria colony can be serviced.
In the case of the Gold King mine, the EPA apparently did none of these things.
Watch the video for more details.