Passive Biological Treatment Systems of Mine Waters at WISMUT Sites

Water treatment is an important component of WISMUT’s remediation activities at uranium mining and milling sites in Eastern Germany, from both an environmental and financial perspective. In most cases, uranium, radium and arsenic are the main contaminants, while at some sites, nickel and other nonradioactive metals are present too. Passive systems are an attractive alternative to conventional treatment facilities. Numerous approaches have been developed that use natural processes to remove metallic contaminants from mine and seepage water. However, implementing biological water treatment systems is still often regarded as “tricky”, and scepticism as to their effectiveness and stability is prevalent among practitioners, the public and, perhaps most importantly, regulators. This paper addresses the regulatory and compliance issues, some of the key issues in the development and construction of such systems, and discusses practical examples of passive mine water treatment systems that have been completed and evaluated by WISUTEC already.