Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G2W2, Canada.
J Contam Hydrol. 2013 Aug;151:83-92. doi: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2013.05.002. Epub 2013 May 23.
The South Tailings Pond (STP) is a ~2300-ha tailing pond operated by Suncor Energy Inc. that has received oil sand process-affected (PA) water and mature fine tailings since 2006. The STP is underlain by a clay till, which is in turn underlain by the Wood Creek Sand Channel (WCSC). The sandy deposits of the WCSC provide greater geotechnical stability but could act as a potential flow pathway for PA water to migrate off site and into the Athabasca River. Preliminary modeling of the STP suggests that PA water from the pond will infiltrate into the underlying sand channel, but the extent and development of this impact is still poorly understood. Suncor Energy Inc. built interception wells and a cut-off-wall to control any potential seepage. Here we present the results of an investigation of the fate and transport of PA water in clay till underlying a 10 m × 10 m infiltration pond that was constructed on the southeastern portion of the STP. The geochemistry of pore water in the till underlying the infiltration pond was determined prior to filling with process-affected water (2008) and two years after the infiltration pond was filled with PA waters (2010). Pore water was analyzed for metals, cations, anions, and isotopes ((2)H and (18)O). The distribution of conservative tracers ((18)O and chloride) indicated migration of the PA waters to approximately 0.9 m, but the migrations of major ions and metals were significantly delayed relative to this depth. Uptake of Na and Mo and release of Ca, Mg, Mn, Ba, and Sr suggest that adsorption and ion exchange reactions are the foremost attenuation processes controlling inorganic solutes transport.
南尾矿池（STP）是 Suncor Energy Inc. 运营的一个约 2300 公顷的尾矿池，自 2006 年以来接收了油砂加工影响（PA）水和成熟细尾矿。STP 位于粉质粘土之下，粉质粘土又位于 Wood Creek Sand Channel（WCSC）之下。WCSC 的砂质沉积物提供了更大的岩土工程稳定性，但也可能成为 PA 水迁移到场外并进入阿萨巴斯卡河的潜在流动途径。对 STP 的初步建模表明，来自池塘的 PA 水将渗透到下面的砂质通道中，但这种影响的程度和发展仍知之甚少。Suncor Energy Inc. 建造了截流井和截流墙以控制任何潜在的渗漏。在这里，我们介绍了在 STP 东南部建造的一个 10 m×10 m 渗透池下粉质粘土中 PA 水的赋存和运移研究结果。在渗透池用 PA 水填充之前（2008 年）和填充两年后（2010 年），测定了渗透池下粉质粘土中孔隙水的地球化学性质。分析了孔隙水中的金属、阳离子、阴离子和同位素（(2)H 和 (18)O）。保守示踪剂（(18)O 和氯化物）的分布表明，PA 水迁移到大约 0.9 m，但主要离子和金属的迁移明显滞后于该深度。Na 和 Mo 的吸收以及 Ca、Mg、Mn、Ba 和 Sr 的释放表明，吸附和离子交换反应是控制无机溶质运移的首要衰减过程。
