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After the boom of deep mines and the exhaustion of
many surface mines in the North Fork Watershed, the land and water were left in
ruin. Coal refuse was heaped in piles and long highwalls loomed on either side
of the iron-stained river. Most of the mines in the vicinity were abandoned
before 1977, and were therefore eligible for attention under the Surface
Mining Control and Reclamation Act. In 1993, AML began work on the two miles
of land adjacent to the North Fork. The projects were divided into sections,
Albert and Douglas, in order to distribute the cost over a few years. The
following is a brief review of the work completed by AML in the Douglas/Coketon
area. |
Albert Highwall Land
Reclamation.
In June 1993, the Division of Environmental Protection began work on a 150 acre
abandoned deep and surface mine complex along the North Fork known as the Albert
Highwall. The project included:
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Eliminating 11,000 L.F. of highwall
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Installing
five wet seals and approximately 60 modified seals
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Regrading
50 acres of coal refuse |
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Realigning
a portion of Middle Run |
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Constructing
five water treatment systems and four anoxic limestone beds
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Installing
approximately 4000 L.F. of underdrain |
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Revegetating150
acres |
The project was completed during October 1996 at a
cost of $3,650,808.
Albert Surface
Mine Complex:
Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) from run off of the Albert surface mine complex drains
into Long Run, a tributary of the North Fork. Six passive water treatment
systems were designed to capture AMD seepage from numerous sources. Each
treatment system consisted of a heavy plastic liner topped by calcium carbonate
limestone and 12" of organic material. Riprap and fabriform channels were
installed to prevent erosion.
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Douglas Highwall
Land Reclamation Project:
consisted of 62 acres of abandoned mine land
and began in April 1993. This project included:
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Excavating and regrading steeply sloped mine
spoil and refuse material |
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Backfilling and eliminating 4,200 L.F. of
highwall |
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Constructing a dewatering ditch and subdrain
along the highwall |
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Stabilizing roadway
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Wet-sealing and dry-sealing six collapsed and
open deep mine portals |
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Constructing a composted anoxic limestone ditch
(ALD) |
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Soil conditioning and revegetation.
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This project was completed in September 1995 at a
cost $1,446,449.
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Water Treatment:
Abandoned deep mine #29 is the
largest contributor to AMD in the Douglas project. High flows of water from
this mine have always been a problem. The Chief Inspector of the West Virginia
Department of Mines observed in his 1904 annual report that “an unusual amount
of water is generated at #29, and the drainage is not very good.” The #29 mine
stands adjacent to the old railroad grade and generates a large volume of acid
water very close to the North Fork. The passive treatment system chosen for
this project was an experimental design combining an anoxic limestone drain (ALD)
and wetland system. At the time of construction, it was the largest treatment
system of its type in the United States.
Current Condition:
Reclamation of the Douglas and Albert projects
has transformed the land, but the North Fork of the Blackwater is still
receiving large loads of AMD from both sites. Many of the passive water
treatment systems designed to decrease the impact of AMD to the North Fork are
not working as they were intended. The ALD treating water from mine #29
produced good results during the first two years of operation with water exiting
the wetland drain measuring a pH of 6.8-7.3. In subsequent years, however, the
pH dropped drastically and currently measures 3.1. Treatment ponds
on the Albert site display a similar pattern. Currently, only one treatment
system is releasing water with a pH higher than 4.0. Long Run, which receives
water from the Albert water treatment systems, measures a pH of 2.7 as it enters
the North Fork.
Other water quality concerns include sites
that were not addressed at all during the reclamation projects in the 1990’s.
These include several AMD seepage sited on the east side of the North Fork as
well as a drainage from a deep mine at the edge of the town of Thomas. This
drainage travels from the mine opening, through a culvert under Rt. 32 and down
a riprap channel. A significant amount of aluminum precipitates as the water
flows down and joins with the North Fork. |
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