Even More on Acid Mine Drainage

Here are some snippets of information on Acid Mine Drainage and what lies ahead for Taseko Mines' Prosperity Mine:

Soils and spoils exposed to acid mine drainage do not support vegetation and are susceptible to erosion. When acid mine drainage enters natural waterways, changes in pH and the formation of voluminous precipitates of metal hydroxides can devastate fish populations and other aquatic life.  There may be as many as 500,000 inactive or abandoned mines in the United States, with mine drainage severely impacting approximately 19,300 km of streams and more than 72,000 ha of lakes and reservoirs (2-3, ). Once initiated, mine drainage may persist for decades... solve.http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a740169972

Acid mine drainage has already polluted more than 12,000 miles of rivers and streams and over 180,000 acres of lakes and impoundments in the United States. According to the U.S. EPA, acid mine drainage from coal mining is the leading source of water pollution in the Mid-Atlantic States. Acid Mine Drainage from metal mines in Western states has caused some of the country's largest and most contaminated Superfund sites. Mining companies argue that modern mining methods can protect against Acid Mine Drainage, but they cannot point to a single mine that is more than a few years old that has not resulted in contamination. Because Acid Mine Drainage often takes several years to develop, recent mines that have not yet contaminated nearby waters do not provide proof that these ores can be mined safely. http://www.sosbluewaters.org/ 

Acid Mine Drainage Pictures 

http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/kirby/AMD.html