The Quality of Water Discharging from the New River and Clear Fork Basins, Tennessee.
Abstract
Water discharging from the heavily mined New River Basin is characterized by neutral pH, low dissolved solids (<300 mg/L) and high concentrations of suspended sediment. Approximately 590,000 tons of suspended sediment were discharged from the New River Basin in 1977, as compared to an estimated 20,000 tons from the relatively unmined Clear Fork Basin. More than 90 percent of the suspended sediment is silt and clay (<0.0625 mm). In association with these fine-grained suspended sediments are sorbed trace metals. In 1977 the New River basin discharged an estimated 17,000 tons of suspended iron while Clear Fork only discharged an estimated 600 tons. Suspended sediment concentration was found to be highly correlated with both suspended and total trace metal concentrations. This correlation coupled with the nearly neutral pH of water indicates that trace metals are transported primarily in the suspended phase. The most promising indicator of the presence of coal mining was found to be dissolved sulfate. All unmined basins, sampled in this study, showed dissolved sulfate concentrations less than 20 mg/L whereas all mined basins had dissolved sulfate concentrations in excess of 20 mg/L regardless of basin size or discharge. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA103576
Entities
People
- R. S. Parker
- W. P. Carey