TY - GEN
T1 - Self-calibrating water quality monitoring system
AU - Armstrong, Trent
AU - Heath, Gail
AU - Smith, Casey
AU - Scott, Clark
AU - Jackson, Candice
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - Self-calibrating remote monitoring systems are designed to reduce the cost and time needed to properly monitor acid mine drainage issues as well as assist in remedial efforts. Self-calibrating water quality monitoring systems allow real time data collection at a low cost per sample. A self-calibrating system has been installed at the Barite Hill Pit Lake located in McCormick County, South Carolina, an acid mine pit lake with a stratified water column consisting of nearly 'clean' water at the top and highly acidic, heavy metal, rich water below. The purpose of the monitoring system is to automatically sample and analyze daily for pH, ORP, DO, temperature, and conductivity at 5 foot increments down the profile of the pit lake water column. The system includes a sonic water level sensor to monitor the pit lake level, and a camera to observe the spillway and floating chemical analytical system as an early warning method to monitor raft condition and pit lake overflow. Four groundwater wells located in the capped waste rock repository south of the lake are autonomously monitoring the same parameters in groundwater as the pit lake. Stainless steel jacketed thermocouples are used to collect temperature every ten minutes along the vertical profile in the lake as well as the monitoring wells. A 3-D resistivity system is employed to monitor fluid flow interactions between the pit lake and the waste rock repository. Remote site communications are provided by a dedicated two-way cellular modem that allows continuous access to the system for data download, software updates, and remote control. The data is recorded on-site as well as automatically collected by a remote server and parsed into a relational database. A secure web interface provides access to the data from any online computer, has graduated levels of access with multiple permission levels, basic data analysis, and plotting tools. This type of self-calibrating monitoring system allows low cost year round access to remote sites that previously has not been achievable. The high data density provides insight into a complex system, thereby delivering quality information to management and project engineers essential for making project decisions.
AB - Self-calibrating remote monitoring systems are designed to reduce the cost and time needed to properly monitor acid mine drainage issues as well as assist in remedial efforts. Self-calibrating water quality monitoring systems allow real time data collection at a low cost per sample. A self-calibrating system has been installed at the Barite Hill Pit Lake located in McCormick County, South Carolina, an acid mine pit lake with a stratified water column consisting of nearly 'clean' water at the top and highly acidic, heavy metal, rich water below. The purpose of the monitoring system is to automatically sample and analyze daily for pH, ORP, DO, temperature, and conductivity at 5 foot increments down the profile of the pit lake water column. The system includes a sonic water level sensor to monitor the pit lake level, and a camera to observe the spillway and floating chemical analytical system as an early warning method to monitor raft condition and pit lake overflow. Four groundwater wells located in the capped waste rock repository south of the lake are autonomously monitoring the same parameters in groundwater as the pit lake. Stainless steel jacketed thermocouples are used to collect temperature every ten minutes along the vertical profile in the lake as well as the monitoring wells. A 3-D resistivity system is employed to monitor fluid flow interactions between the pit lake and the waste rock repository. Remote site communications are provided by a dedicated two-way cellular modem that allows continuous access to the system for data download, software updates, and remote control. The data is recorded on-site as well as automatically collected by a remote server and parsed into a relational database. A secure web interface provides access to the data from any online computer, has graduated levels of access with multiple permission levels, basic data analysis, and plotting tools. This type of self-calibrating monitoring system allows low cost year round access to remote sites that previously has not been achievable. The high data density provides insight into a complex system, thereby delivering quality information to management and project engineers essential for making project decisions.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84867280111&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.4133/1.3614217
DO - 10.4133/1.3614217
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84867280111
SN - 9781617828850
T3 - Proceedings of the Symposium on the Application of Geophyics to Engineering and Environmental Problems, SAGEEP
SP - 622
EP - 624
BT - 24th Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems 2011, SAGEEP 2011
PB - J and N Group, Ltd.
T2 - 24th Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems 2011, SAGEEP 2011
Y2 - 10 April 2011 through 14 April 2011
ER -