Origin and Fate of Vanadium in the Hazeltine Creek Catchment following the 2014 Mount Polley Mine Tailings Spill in British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

Results from the analysis of aqueous and solid-phase V speciation within samples collected from the Hazeltine Creek catchment affected by the August 2014 Mount Polley mine tailings dam failure in British Columbia, Canada, are presented. Electron microprobe and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) analysis found that V is present as V3+ substituted into magnetite and V3+ and V4+ substituted into titanite, both of which occur in the spilled Mount Polley tailings. Secondary Fe oxyhydroxides forming in inflow waters and on creek beds have V K-edge XANES spectra exhibiting E1/2 positions and pre-edge features consistent with the presence of V5+ species, suggesting sorption of this species on these secondary phases. PHREEQC modeling suggests that the stream waters mostly contain V5+ and the inflow and pore waters contain a mixture of V3+ and V5+. These data, and stream, inflow, and pore water chemical data, suggest that dissolution of V­(III)-bearing magnetite, V­(III)- and V­(IV)-bearing titanite, V­(V)-bearing Fe­(-Al-Si-Mn) oxhydroxides, and V-bearing Al­(OH)3 and/or clay minerals may have occurred. In the circumneutral pH environment of Hazeltine Creek, elevated V concentrations are likely naturally attenuated by formation of V­(V)-bearing secondary Fe oxyhydroxide, Al­(OH)3, or clay mineral colloids, suggesting that the V is not bioavailable. A conceptual model describing the origin and fate of V in Hazeltine Creek that is applicable to other river systems is presented.

Adsorption of (Poly)vanadate onto Ferrihydrite and Hematite: An In Situ ATR–FTIR Study

“…Iron (Fe) (oxyhydr)­oxides are a key control on element mobility and bioavailability in soils and sediments . These phases exhibit a high affinity for the uptake of oxyanion-forming elements, including V, by sorption or incorporation reactions. − Adsorption of mononuclear vanadate species onto Fe­(III) (oxyhydr)­oxides results from the formation of inner-sphere bidentate corner- and edge-sharing surface complexes. ,,, While aqueous vanadate sorption by Fe­(III) (oxyhydr)­oxides has been described previously in the field and laboratory settings, ,,,,,− the interaction of aqueous polynuclear V species with these phases has not been examined. Nevertheless, these reactions likely impact V mobility in terrestrial waters characterized by elevated [V] T or low pH conditions.…”

“…Vanadium (V) is a redox sensitive trace metal that has a wide range of applications from industrial processes (e.g., catalysis), manufacturing (e.g., steelworks), and as a paleo-indicator for studying Earth’s biogeochemical cycles. − Crustal abundance generally ranges from 95 to 300 mg kg –1 , however, concentrations exceeding 1000 mg kg –1 are commonly associated with primary ore minerals and secondary phases in bauxite, phosphate, coal, black shales, and crude oil deposits at elevated concentrations. − Vanadium can be acutely toxic to organisms and has recently been listed as a contaminant of concern due to increased anthropogenic release from industrial (i.e., steel byproducts or catalytic chemistry), mining activities, and fossil fuel combustion. − Vanadium is listed in USEPA Contaminant Candidate List 4, yet few jurisdictions have established water quality guidelines (e.g., Canada and the Netherlands). , While background aqueous V concentrations range from 0.0005 to 180 μg L –1 in surface water and groundwater, depending on the weathering rates and source material, concentrations have been shown to exceed 1 mg L –1 in mining environments. − …”

Database of ab initio L-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure

“…X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is a robust and valuable characterization technique for accurate identifications of atomic local environments 1 , oxidation states 2 , and electronic structures 3 , etc. In XAS, core electrons are excited after the absorption of X-ray photons.…”

Seasonal Turbidity Linked to Physical Dynamics in a Deep Lake Following the Catastrophic 2014 Mount Polley Mine Tailings Spill

“…On 4 August 2014, the failure of the Mount Polley Mining Corporation (MPMC) copper and gold mine tailings pond dam in central British Columbia (BC), Canada (Figure 1), released a ~25 Mm 3 debris flow (MPMC, 2015), at the time the largest mine tailings spill by volume ever documented (Byrne et al, 2018; WISE, 2020). The spill consisted of approximately 7.3 Mm 3 of non‐acid generating tailings solids, 10.6 Mm 3 of supernatant water, 6.5 Mm 3 of interstitial water, and 0.6 Mm 3 of construction materials (Byrne et al, 2018; Hudson‐Edwards et al, 2019; SNC‐Lavalin Inc., 2014). The Mount Polley tailings dam (2.4 km 2 ) was located upstream of Quesnel Lake, a large, deep, oligotrophic fjord‐lake, and the debris flow surged 9.2 km along the Hazeltine Creek channel before discharging into the lake's West Basin (WB), a semi‐isolated 113 m deep subbasin connected to the Main Basin of the lake over a 35 m deep sill near Cariboo Island (Figure 1).…”

“…However, local residents reported an abrupt change in the color and clarity of the surface waters of the WB from clear blue to “cloudy” and “green” in November 2014 and a subsequent seasonal “greening” of the lake (Nikl et al, 2016). The short‐term (3‐month) water property impacts of the MPMC spill have been described by Petticrew et al (2015) and initial studies on how the spill affected sediment/soils geochemistry and benthic microbial communities have been undertaken (Byrne et al, 2018; Garris et al, 2018; Hatam et al, 2019; Hudson‐Edwards et al, 2019). MPMC consultants have undertaken monitoring and modelling of the the lake (MPMC, 2015; Tetra Tech EBA, 2015), however, there has not been an independent investigation into the long‐term impact of the spill on the physical limnology of the lake.…”