Evaluation of groundwater conditions at a vanadium mine site near Hot Springs, Arkansas

Mineralization, mining activities, seepage from formerly unreclaimed mine spoils, and naturally-occurring processes have contributed to groundwater quality at the Wilson Springs mine site near Hot Springs Arkansas. Groundwater concentrations of chloride, sulfate, and total dissolved solids (TDS) exceed Federal Secondary Drinking Water Standards (FSDWS) in portions of the shallow water table aquifer beneath the site. In addition, pH is commonly below the range mandated by FSDWS. Elevated concentrations of chloride, sulfate and TDS are restricted to a limited onsite area and are not present offsite. Remedial actions have been implemented at the mine site to improve local groundwater quality. Geologic, hydrologic and geochemical site conditions, coupled with reclamation efforts, have mitigated the migration of chloride, sulfate and TDS and resulted in pH neutralization prior to off-site migration. Geochemical modeling support site data that indicate pH neutralization is occurring.