Modeling the effects of vegetation on fluid flow through an acid mine drainage passive remediation system

The fluid dynamics of acid mine drainage (AMD) flow through Wingfield Pines passive remediation system is captured using a lattice Boltzmann model of shallow water flow. The retention time of fluid through the system is critical to the efficient treatment of these polluted waters and, therefore, the retention times in all five settling ponds and the wetlands are elucidated for both the system as it was built, and for when vegetation is present. The effects of vegetation growth is predicted to initially cause channeling, potentially decreasing retention times, but over longer times to increasingly spread the fluid flow throughout the system and increase retention times.