Simulation of the migration path of the maximum pollutants’ concentration. Case study of the tailing pond, southwest China

Following China's economic development, lots of tailing deposits have become potential pollution sources, and their leaching would release the trace elements into the natural environment. The leakage rate model and the solute transport models of groundwater are coupled to investigate the effects of the tailing ponds on groundwater. It indicates that the anti-seepage layer is a necessary and important component of the tailing ponds, which could protect the soil or groundwater to be polluted by wastewater. Under three scenarios (scenario A - ideal conditions, scenario B - the worst conditions, and scenario C), the proportions of maximum concentration to source concentration are 1.2, 94.6, and 19.1%, respectively. Under the worst states of anti-seepage layers, the pollution areas after 730, 1800, 3807 and 7300 days were 130 500, 313 200, 523 800, and 729 000 m2, respectively. Compared with Scenario B, the pollution areas of Scenario C after 1800, 3807, and 7300 days were cut by 52.97, 74.55, and 81.73, respectively. Given important anti-seepage layers, the tracking monitor system is necessary and important to discover whether the groundwater was contaminated in time.