Overflow from the log washers was waste and went to a mud tailings pond. The coarse jig tailings went to tailings piles or were used as railroad ballast and, later, to create roads within the mine pit.
Some barite was ground, depending on its final use, and some ground barite was bleached using a hot solution of sulfuric acid to remove impurities such as iron minerals and lead sulfide galena. An earlier bleaching process used lead-lined tanks. Large quantities of water were required for milling the barite; some was recirculated water and the remainder came from dammed streams or was pumped from wells.
Tailings and wastewater were impounded behind dikes that were built across small valleys and were increased in height as necessary using washer waste and any overburden that had been stripped. In some cases, dikes were built across valleys that had already been mined for barite.
The total production of barite from the Southeast Missouri Barite District and the Valles Mines is estimated to have been about Most of the barite production was from Washington County. Hand mining and processing of barite was inefficient. Estimates of barite recovery range from less than one-fourth to about one-half because pillars between the shafts in the residuum needed to be left unmined for stability. With mechanized mining, large amounts of barite were lost during the milling process.
It has been estimated that about 30 percent of the barite was lost and that about two-thirds of the lost barite was fine-grained and was discharged to the tailings ponds. The name is derived from the Latin word for "Ore. Gold Although not particularly abundant, many are surprised to learn that there is gold found in some parts of Missouri. In most cases, you will find gold with copper, silver, or iron. In fact, gold is not easily found in the state, and geologists have not found any large deposit that would necessitate commercial mining.
However, small deposit carried down from Canada by the glaciers during the last ice age can be found all over the state. It comes in a variety of colors such as clear, brown, pink, and purple. Purple quartz is called amethyst, the most popular of the varieties. Quartz is used to make glass and sometimes as an ornamental stone. For a number of years, before declining in the s, Washington County was the world's leading producer of barite.
Many of the large barite mining operations reworked lands that were previously hand-mined for galena mineral source of lead or barite. Washington County has hosted over 1, lead and barite mining, milling or smelting sites. Remnants of mining activities throughout the area include strip mines, mineshafts, mine dumps, tailing areas, tailings ponds and associated dams.
There are several large tailings impoundments, associated dams and leachate ponds with elevated levels of lead present at the site. Currently there are over 1, entries in the database for Washington County. As development in the area progressed over the last years, residents of the area have constructed homes and developments on mine waste. Old tailings ponds are particularly attractive to prospective property owners interested in building near a lake.
Historically many people have used mine waste as an inexpensive option for use in gravel driveways or even sand boxes for children. Unfortunately, many people moving into the area are not familiar with the mining history of the area or the health risks associated with exposure to mine waste containing lead, arsenic, and cadmium. This site is separated into five Operable Units OUs. OU 1 includes residential properties.
OU 2 includes groundwater. OU 3 includes mine waste. Skip to Main Content. Loading Close.
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