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Evaluation of temporal and spatial trends of groundwater quality alteration in the area of mining waste disposal site
Abstract
On the basis of data from long-term monitoring studies carried out in the impact area of the Smolnica coal mining waste disposal site in the Upper Silesia Coal Basin (Poland), the extent and propagation of originally good groundwater quality degradation that resulted from infiltration to the Quaternary aquifer of contaminants leached from the disposal site, as well as major trends of the natural water quality alteration were evaluated. For assessment of spatial and temporal groundwater quality trends in the vicinity of the disposal site, geostatistical methods were applied. Water quality alteration trends were monitored with use of two major constituents: chlorides and sulfates showing significant changes in time and space. The spatial variability was assessed with use of the GeoEas and Surfer models; for data aggregation and trend analysis, the SigmaPlot was used; preliminary data analysis was accomplished with use of the Statgraphics Plus for Windows software. The hydrogeochemical background of two analyzed compounds for each separate hydrogeochemical zone in the waste disposal area was simulated by a probabilistic method. Time- and space-dependent characteristics of chloride and sulfate distribution along with assessed data for the hydrogeochemical background provided a basis for the long-term evaluation of the groundwater chemical composition and deterioration rate variability in the area of the mining waste disposal site.
... WQI is used to evaluate the quality of water in rivers (Ewaid and Abed, 2017;Wu et al., 2018;Tripathi and Singal, 2019), streams (Tian et al., 2019) or even lacustrine water bodies (Zotou et al., 2020). These types of issues are widely used, including for the assessment of the migration of groundwater pollutants (Pietrucin and Czop, 2015;Niedbalska et al., 2015;Jamorska et al., 2019), long-term changes in surface and groundwater quality (Kmiecik et al., 2004;Szalińska and d'Obyrn, 2018;Kurek et al., 2020) or hydrochemical characteristics in the lacustrine environment (Aleksander-Kwaterczak and Zdechlik, 2016). ...
In the European Union the basic requirements in the subject of the appropriate quality of water, constituting a habitat for fish, was established in Directive 2006/44/EC (EU, 2006) on the quality of fresh waters needing protection or improvement in order to support fish life (currently implicitly repealed by Directive 2000/60/EC). This legislation presents the list of parameters that should be controlled together with their guide and mandatory levels, methods of analysis as well as minimum sampling and measuring frequency. Based on the case study from the Podhale region in southern Poland, the impact of used geothermal water discharge on river water quality was assessed, in particular in the context of the quality of the life of salmonid fish species. The variability of the chemical composition of river water as a result of used geothermal water discharge was assessed both in statistical terms and in correlation to river flows. To quantify the water quality in terms of protection of the fish life, a new Fish-Water Pollution Index was developed. In the presented case, similarly to the Water Quality Indices and Heavy Metal Pollution Indices, also the Fish Water Pollution Indices values calculated upstream and downstream of the used geothermal water discharge, do not display significant differences.
In this paper, the stability of sulphur (II) compounds determined as the sum of hydrogen sul-phide, hydrosulphides and sulphides was evaluated in groundwater sourced from the B-8b Michał intake. Sulphide waters are a valuable raw material used as a basis for spa treatment in Busko-Zdrój. Based on the chemical composition analyses conducted in the years 1946-2018, a general analysis of random variability and statistical analysis of data was performed using PS IMAGO 5.0.1 software. Stability assessment was carried out on the data set for the 2009-2018 period on the basis of individual measurement control charts. Trend analysis was also performed using the GWSDAT software. Stability assessment of sulphur (II) compounds in medicinal water from B-8b Michał intake in Busko-Zdrój.
Electricity production in Poland is carried out mainly in conventional power plants, and the necessary resources include fuel and water. Significant water intake and production of sewage necessitate the application of technological solutions limiting the negative impact on the water environment. For this reason, Tauron Group's power plants for replenishing losses in cooling circuits use beside surface water, water from inactive mining plants. Due to the increased content of chlorides and sulphates in relation to surface water, mine water show significant corrosion properties. However, they are characterized by a relatively stable chemical composition mainly dependent on the physicochemical properties of the geological environment. The surface water quality is affected by many factors, such as seasons, thaws, rainfall, or the presence of pollutants from sewage disposal. The relative stability of the chemical composition of mine water allows for easier determination of chemical dosage during treatment process. The paper presents a stability assessment of the chemical composition of waters used to supplement circuits based on data from 2007–2017.
In Poland, electricity is still produced mainly in conventional power plants where fuel and water are materials necessary to generate the electricity. Even in modern power plants operating according to the principles of the sustainable development, this involves a high intake of water and considerable production of wastewater. This, in turn, necessi-tates the application of some technological solutions aimed at limiting the negative impact on the environment. The Jaworzno III Power Plant – Power Plant II is located in Jaworzno, Silesian Province, Poland. In order to minimise the negative impact on the surface water, the plant replenishes the cooling circuit with the mining water obtained from the closed-down Jan Kanty mine. The paper presents a stability assessment of the chemical composition of the treated mining water used to replenish the cooling circuit based on the data from 2007–2017.
The primary aim of the present work is to estimate the influence of the selected method of liquidating post-exploitation sulphur mining excavations in the Tarnobrzeg region to the changes in the water relations in their surrounds. The long term mining activities in this region have lead to radical changes to the initial water relations. Under the influence of mine dewatering a drawdown cone spanning an area of tens of kilometers has formed in the Quaternary and Tertiary aquifer formations. The chosen method for liquidating mining excavations assumes the formation of recreational water reservoirs in their place. Prognosing the changes to the hydrodynamic and hydrogeochemical conditions on a regional scale as a result of liquidating post-exploitation excavations is possible by utilising numerical modelling methods. Constructed hydrodynamic and hydrogeochemical models represent a stable base upon which future solutions and prognosis can be carried out e.g. in the case that liquidation decisions change. The results obtained from modelling studies are elementary to the execution of technical projects liquidating post-exploitation excavations. A new method for the estimation of the hydrogeochemical background based on geostatistical modelling methods and analysis of probability curves has been developed.