Assessment of groundwater isotopic variations in a uranium mining site

Resumo

This report presents an assessment on the stable isotopes (Deuterium (²H) and Oxygen-18 (¹⁸O)) variation of in groundwater to investigate its dynamics and mixing of water sources as part of initial efforts to characterize the hydrogeology of a basin under a uranium mining influence, for future contamination and recharge studies.

The Caetité Experimental Basin (CEB), located in the semi-arid region of Northeastern Brazil (Figure 1), faces not only the challenges associated with water scarcity but also the potential contamination processes due to mining activity. The only active uranium production center in Brazil (URA) is located in this watershed [1] and the sustainability of mining and milling operations, as well as the survival of the local community, is highly dependent on the availability of groundwater resources. Measurements of δ²H and δ¹⁸O were carried out in water samples from 27 wells. A total of 98 groundwater samples were analyzed during the dry and wet seasons from 2012 to 2014.