Apparent seasonal variations in iron photoreduction in acidic discharge from a former pyrite mine, Oakland, California

This study investigates a watershed influenced by acid mine drainage emanating from the former Leona Heights Sulfur Mine, located in Oakland, California. The primary factors that temporally controlled the magnitude of iron photoreduction included initial iron concentration, incident ultraviolet radiation, water temperature, biotic oxidation, flow rates, and the Fe(III) species present. Vegetation was not expected to seasonally influence the amount of incoming solar radiation reaching the water surface as the tree canopy contained significant cover during both the April and July monitoring events. Accordingly, it was anticipated that iron photoreduction would be greatest during the summer when both incoming ultraviolet radiation and dissolved iron were at a maximum. This was, however, not the case. A substantial decline in the apparent magnitude of iron photoreduction occurred during the summer/dry season (July) with respect to measurements taken during the spring/wet season (April). The primary reasons for the observed phenomenon were attributed to factors which may seasonally control the physical presence of iron oxidizing bacteria at the site and water temperature, which influences the optimum rate of bacterially mediated iron oxidation.