EVALUATING WATER QUALITY POLLUTION FROM ZINC MINE WATERSHED – NYRSTAR ZINC MINE GORDONSVILLE

Heavy metals pollution and changes to water quality that result from mine waste after mining present a risk to the health of aquatic organisms and other living things that interact with contaminated water and linked fauna and flora. For this project, temperature, pH, oxygen, and alkalinity were measured in the field and samples were taken to TTU Water Center Lab for analyses of metals and anions. The objective is to determine if a stream in proximity of a zinc mine in Gordonsville, Smith County, Tennessee is at risk of carrying harmful waste and potentially polluting Caney Fork River that the mine watershed drains into. Water samples were collected from three sites in the study area to compare the water quality of the stream, before it enters the mine and after it interacts the area of the mine. Results of this study will determine if the stream is at risk of waste contamination, the present quality of the water draining from the mine, and if measures must be taken to treat the water or prevent more waste from entering the stream. Preliminary results show that water in leaving of the mine area have higher concentrations of dissolved calcium and sulfate, however the actual concentration of these ions do not pose a risk to health. Zinc and Mn in the water leaving the mine area appear to decrease. This study will help to understand chemical transport from zinc mine areas.