Supervising Scientist Division

Use of fluorometric dye tracing to simulate dispersion of discharge from a mine site: A study of the Magela Creek system, March 1978

Technical Memorandum 15
Smith DI, Young PC and Goldberg RJ
Supervising Scientist, 1986
ISSN 0810-9532
ISBN 0 644 01320 6

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About the report

The applicability of fluorometric dye tracing techniques to simulate the likely downstream dispersion of discharge from the Ranger mine site was investigated using Rhodamine WT as the tracer.

In the upper part of the system mixing was rapid and the velocity of the dye pulse, calculated from the centroid of the dye mass, was close to 1 km per hour. In the lower section of the Magela Creek system vertical and horizontal mixing was poor and velocities were much lower: the first arrival of the dye at a site 20 km downstream of the injection point was some 80 hours after injection.

It is concluded that fluorometric dye tracing is a viable method for obtaining information on the pattern of mixing and the speed of flow in systems of this kind. The variations of velocity in relation to discharge are such that, for management purposes, it is recommended that further dye traces are undertaken. These should be chosen to correspond to both high and low natural discharges in the Magela Creek system.

Rhodamine WT was found to be a conservative tracer, at least over a period of 24 h.

A summary of a similar experiment undertaken in February 1979 is given.

Cover - Use of fluorometric dye tracing to simulate dispersion of discharge from a mine site: A study of the Magela Creek system, March 1978

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