The impact of short-term variations of weather conditions on the chemism of rain water runoff from flotation wastes of Mississippi Valley-type Zn-Pb ores (southern Poland)

摘要

The article presents the results of investigations of runoff water generated by heavy storms on a slope of tailings pond made from Zn-Pb flotation wastes of the Mississippi Valley-type ore formation (Silesia-Cracow ore district). For selected indicators of contaminations (SO_4~(2-), Ca~(2+), Zn, Cd, and Pb) leached from wastes through water runoff main statistical parameters are presented. The impact of short-term variations of weather conditions on the chemistry of runoff water is clarified. It has been pointed out that SO_4~(2-) concentrations in rain water runoff have highly negative correlation with the sum of rainfalls and relative air humidity during days preceding runoff occurrences. Among heavy metals only cadmium concentrations in waters point out an some dependence on weather conditions, occurring before runoff events. For sulfates, as the main contamination indicator, regression models (linear, polynomial and exponential) of dependences of their concentrations in waters on precipitation and air humidity were tested. Moreover, a non-standard technique of runoff water sampling and a system of information about approaching rainfalls, based on meteorological radar data, have been presented.