US EPA

1343754 

Journal Article 

ENVIRONMENTAL-IMPACT OF FORMER GOLD MINING ON THE ORANGI RIVER, SERENGETI NP, TANZANIA 

Bowell, RJ; Warren, A; Minjera, HA; Kimaro, N 

1995 

Yes 

Biogeochemistry
ISSN: 0168-2563
EISSN: 1573-515X 

BIOSIS/95/26136 

28 

3 

131-160 

English 

10.1007/BF02186456 

WOS:A1995RD67700001 

BIOSIS COPYRIGHT: BIOL ABS. The Orangi river is an important all-year source of water for wildlife in the northern part of the Serengeti National Park. At two points along the river in the Banagi area, tributaries draining the adit and tailings of the Kilimafeza mine impact the Orangi. The former Au-Cu mine is subject to occasional wet season flooding leading to the release of iron ochres from the adit and physical as well as chemical mobilization of tailings material. The unpolluted river chemistry is essentially Na-Ca-HCO3- and well-buffered. Drainage waters from the tailings are characterized by low pH (2.3) and high concentration of sulphate (up to 3280 mg/l), aluminium (275 mg/l), arsenic (324 mg/l), copper (125 mg/l), iron (622 mg/l), lead (21 mg/l), manganese (65 mg/l), and zinc (126 mg/l). Adit-drainage waters are typically of a lower pH (4.6) and have a lower concentration of sulphate (up to 1840 mg/l) and metals (up to 25 mg/l Al, 92 mg/l As, 42 mg/l Cu, 258 mg/l Fe, 9.6 mg/l Pb, 53 mg/l 

ACID DRAINAGE; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT