Potential Use of Phosphate Mining Tailing Sand for Water Filtration: Leaching Tests. Final Report.

摘要

Demand for water in central Florida is increasing while the availability of groundwater is dwindling. Because of extensive pumping of fresh water from the Floridian Aquifer, saltwater intrusion is threatening the aquifer in coastal areas, while lowered aquifer levels may affect lake levels and spring flows in more inland areas. The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) has proposed cutting back on the permitted quantities of water pumped from the Floridian Aquifer in the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) so as to be closer to sustainable yield levels. This will have a significant impact on current, and especially future, water users. To meet the growing demands of development, alternative sources of water must be sought. Possible sources are reclaimed wastewater, the capture of storm water, the capture of 'excess' surface water, development of the surficial aquifer, and desalinization of seawater. This project is part of an effort to examine the feasibility of storing waste water or excess surface water in reservoirs on mined lands, purifying the water with wetland treatment and sand tailing filtration, and then injecting the treated water into the Floridian Aquifer. This report specifically addresses the leaching of sand tailings in barrels as a first step to be sure that water quality would not be degraded by sand tailing filtration.