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The Ecology Dictionary explains that the term Yellow Boy is used to describe "iron oxide flocculant (clumps of solids in waste or water); usually observed as orange-yellow deposits in surface streams with excess iron content."
Yellow boy rears his ugly head when the pH of acid rock drainage (ARD) or acid mine drainage (AMD) is raised past 3, either through contact with fresh water or neutralizing minerals, previously soluble Iron(III) ions precipitate as Iron(III) hydroxide, a yellow-orange solid colloquially known as Yellow boy. Yellow boy discolors water and smothers plant and animal life on the streambed, disrupting stream ecosystems." AMD or ARD refer to "the outflow of acidic water from (usually abandoned) metal mines or coal mines. However, other areas where the earth has been disturbed (e.g. construction sites, subdivisions, transportation corridors, etc.) may also contribute acid rock drainage to the environment."
Even worse than Yellow boy is his transparent brother. It seems the worst mine discharges are clear because "they are so highly acidic that the minerals remain dissolved and do not precipitate out right away."
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