A study of visibility impairment associated with mining operation

Abstract

A simple visibility model is developed and applied to assess the visibility impact of two proposed mining areas in Alton, Utah, and West‐Central Colorado. The model is designed to consider multiple sources and three particle size classes with nominal computer time. It uses Gaussian plume dispersion formulation with deposition, and simplified Mie Scattering and radiative transfer algorithm. A comparison test shows that the model outputs agree with those of another more complicated visibility model. The visibility assessment suggests that the plumes in the Alton coal area are expected to be invisible except when scattering angle is small. No perceptible visibility impairment is expected in the West‐Central Colorado coal area.

Key words:

• Visibility
• Coal Mining Operation