Transfer of sediment-associated metals downstream of abandoned and active mining sites in the Quesnel River catchment, British Columbia

Abstract

Metal mining may have considerable impact on downstream water and sediment composition. The rate and extent that metals move downstream determine the magnitude and time scale of downstream sediment contamination. Conversely, the downstream metal content of sediments provide important clues of sediment transfer. To examine the downstream transfer of sediment-associated metals, samples of bed sediments and suspended sediments were collected from small streams draining an abandoned hydraulic gold mine (sample location P1; Fig. 1; Fig. 2a-b) and an active open cast copper mine (locations H1, H2, and D1; Fig. 2c) in the Quesnel River catchment, BC, Canada. In addition, sediment from a control site with no apparent upstream contaminant sources was sampled.