Wagner 1 Jamie Wagner Honors 301 Short Paper May 2, 2013 Acid Mine Drainage in Hegins Township- The

Present The pride of the coal mining runs rampant in my area. Known as the Coal Region, the heritage of anthracite mining is celebrated greatly. However, the heritage of local coal mining has a bit of a dark side. Damage to the environment has occurred with the thousands of mines that have been established, and subsequently abandoned, over the years. Acid mine drainage is a result of the unregulated coal mining that took place for well over a century. Residual wastes in the coal mines as well as leftover piles of surface coal and wastes around the mining areas become flooded with rain and groundwater. Sulfurs from the coal, such as sulfuric acid, are then carried towards nearby streams (Miller & Spoolman, 2009). Aquatic life, potable drinking water, and human recreation are all lost as a result of the polluted streams. Acid mine drainage is said to be the biggest cause of poor water quality in the state, and it was reported in 2002 that 3,129 miles of streams were affected by the drainage (Abandoned mine reclamation in Pennsylvania). My small town of Hegins had seen some of its creeks affected by acid mine drainage throughout history. There is, however, a treatment plant that actively treats the water; this plant was expensive to build and is expensive to operate. Although the water quality has seen an improvement in my local area, its a sad fact that other parts of my state have not been so lucky. I feel that it is our responsibility, as intelligent and able stewards of the earth, to be aware of the problems of acid mine drainage and how can help clean up the waters.

Wagner 2 As a child, I remember that there was a brown creek that ran behind my grandparents property in West Cameron, Northumberland County, PA. Whenever my brother and I would play out in the woods, our elders were very adamant when telling us we couldnt go into the Dead Creek. My grandparents land was located in a valley and surrounded by deciduous forest, much like the backroad areas a few mountains over in my home town of Hegins, Schuylkill County. Though I was too young, at that time, to understand the concept of pollution, I now know the cause of the creeks absence of life. I first talked to my brother, now a science teacher at the high school in Mount Caramel (another town with extremely strong coal traditions), about acid mine drainage. He told me about how the mines would be shut down and eventually be filled with water, and that the water would draw out the sulfurous materials from the leftover coal piles and wastes (Wagner, 2013). The particles, which also could include other metals such as iron and aluminum (What is acid mine drainage), would find their way into nearby waterways. The mines were not lined and the wastes werent properly removed, so the sulfur would become oxidized in the water and create iron oxide. This causes the brown-orange color found in affected waterways. Tourist attractions, such as the Pioneer Tunnel in Ashland, PA, and annual coal miners picnics at the Hegins Park are just a few examples of coal mining commemoration in my local area. I even remember being told, in elementary school, about how we students should try to work hard like the coal miners who used to live in our region, and how they would walk over mountains to work for little pay in order to put food on the table for their families. It seems inherently American to value hard work, especially when considering coal was a main fossil fuel that helped us grow as a nation during the Industrial Revolution. The cumulative effects of acid mine drainage that have occurred after years of unregulated mining do not seem to be as thoroughly and openly discussed.

Wagner 3 Acid mine drainage is a problem that had been caused by people for well over 100 years. Coal towns began to become established all over Pennsylvania by 1828 (History), and the people who controlled and operated the mines and cleanup, or lack thereof, are the ones responsible. These people obviously werent trying to damage the environment on purpose, but its clear that they had a lack of care and a lack of responsibility that we are now paying for today. There also was most likely not them same sort of awareness about environmental protection and preservation as there is today. It wasnt until the Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 that the people running the mines had to restore mining locations to their pre-mined state (Abandoned mine reclamation in Pennsylvania). This act followed other federal laws, such as the Clean Water Act in 1972, in a time where environmental consciousness was at the forefront of society. For the current generation, the damage of acid mine drainage has already been done, and many people are informed about how human actions can affect ecological degradation. First and foremost, the problem affects wildlife. The drainage first would cause aquatic insects to die, and the fish which werent killed directly by the pollutants would end up starving to death (Wagner, 2013). The polluted streams would also affect land-dwelling animals due to the fact that the water wouldnt be consumable. Graphic A (page 11) provides a visual analysis for what happens when rainwater comes into contact with sulfides leftover from mines. Filtration is hindered with less soil depth, and the combination of polluted groundwater and runoff becomes fatal for the fish. Land-dwelling animals would be less likely to be found near polluted streams after they noticed the rusty water. In turn, acid mine drainage has affected people in the sense that it takes away from nature; there are a lot of outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen in central Pennsylvania, and the dead creeks in the area reduce the quantity of terrestrial wildlife and

Wagner 4 aquatic life. Acid mine drainage also has an economic drawback for humans, as the polluted streams drive down property values and takes away both commercial and industrial endeavors (Abandoned mine reclamation in Pennsylvania). It can also have a corrosive effect on our infrastructures (What is acid mine drainage). In a broad sense, its clear that we humans value aesthetics. Acid mine drainage takes away from the beauty of nature that many individuals like to take solace in. Acid mine drainage is described as a non-point source of pollution (What is acid mine drainage), which means that the source isnt easy to locate. Its known that the sulfurs originally came from the mines, but by this time the wastes are most likely diffused. The thousands of abandoned coal mines that had toxins leached are spread out all over the state and country. As of March 2002, Pennsylvania had 5,172 recorded abandoned mine sites, and my home county of Schuylkill specifically had 316 abandon mine land sites. Schuylkill is also the third highest county in the state when it comes to acres of unclaimed abandoned mine land (Abandoned mine reclamation in Pennsylvania). Its possible to determine where the problems of acid mine drainage originally occurred when observing where the abandoned mine sites are located. It is also possible to map out the affected areas by simply observing which streams are discolored, and by measuring the pH levels of the water. Graphic B (page 12) shows a map that was found on a website ran by the Lehigh Environmental Initiative at Lehigh University (in Bethlehem, PA), and it shows stream affected by acid mine drainage in the Mid Atlantic region. The year and source of the map is not identified by the LEIs website, but it still provides a general idea of where acid mine drainage is a problem. The streams seem to be more prevalent in Western PA, though Schuylkill and the surrounding areas have quite a lot of streams, too.

Wagner 5 In the overall geographic context of the world, acid mine drainage is not solely local to my town, my county, or even my state. Unregulated mining (of various resources) has taken place all over the country (such as West Virginia, as indicated by Graphic B) and the world, and many places outside of my local area have seen troubles related to the drainage. One of the first sources I turned to in order to learn about acid mine drainage, after my brother and my textbook, was Youtube. I found a video on this site that featured a young man narrating while filming a polluted stream. He mentioned that he was located in Ohio, where a lot of bituminous coal is mined (Acid mine drainage). Another area that is affected greatly by acid mine drainage is South Africa. In this particular country, acid mine drainage is a serious threat to the water supply, economy, and even some buildings (Azarch, 2011). Sulfide materials, as well as lead, zinc, aluminum, and uranium, are leached into the waterways as a result of unregulated gold mining which has been taking place since the 1880s (Azarch, 2011). Pollution due to acid mine drainage seems to be prevalent in any place where unregulated mining occurred. When it comes to acid mine drainage in the present time for Hegins township, the situation is quite better than it is in other parts of the world; there is an active treatment plant in Hegins that restores the quality of the water for Rausch Creek. Active systems are one of the two treatment techniques for acid mine drainage, and these systems use chemicals and equipment which must constantly be operated and maintained (Abandoned mine reclamation in Pennsylvania). At the Rausch Creek AMD Treatment Plant, the acidic water first flows into a mixer with lie to neutralize the pH. The water then goes through aeration tanks, clarifiers and polishing lagoons. Sludge is put through a thickener and filtered and removed for disposal, and clear water flows north (Terwilliger 2009). The second polishing pond of the plant is even able to hold brown trout (Active treatment). Graphic C (page 13) shows the path that the polluted

Wagner 6 water takes to become clean. The plant, established in 1974, can treat up to 16 million gallons of water a day. Another source says that it originally cost about $4 million to build and costs about $400,000 a year to operate, and its said that few active treatments systems are being built because of the high costs (Active treatment). Despite the high costs, it seems as if the plant has done a lot of good; 27 miles of streams between the Susquahanna River and Rausch Creek are now classified as clean and unpolluted, and there are also now 8 mi les of the Pine Creek and 19 miles of the Mahantongo Creek that are able to support trout (Terwilliger, 2009). Graphic D (Page 14), an image taken from Google Maps, shows how Rausch Creek flows into the Pine Creek, which eventually becomes Mahantongo Creek and flows into the Susquahanna. Passive treatments, the other category of treatment for acid mine drainage, uses natural and biological processes. This treatment form includes wetlands, open limestone channels, anoxic limestone drains, vertical flow systems, and diversion wells sites (Abandoned mine reclamation in Pennsylvania). Limestone is used when treating acid mine drainage because it is basic; the limestone is intended to neutralize the acidity of the water and restore its pH to a level of 7. The news article about the Rausch Creek plant says that there are over 200 of these passive treatment facilities in Pennsylvania (Terwilliger, 2009). The video of the man from Ohio shows how a series of dams and pools that are used to dilute the polluted water. The water is filtered between the different section of the waterway, slowly becoming a littler greener after each dam (Acid mine drainage). Passive systems are said to be experimental (Active treatment), but their lack of needing constant attention, combined with their simpler nature, makes them a more affordable and practical option. Still, however, lining ponds and waterways with limestone and building dams could still take a lot of manpower, machinery, and money. It is estimated that it would take $15 billion to clean up the land and water damage from abandoned mines, and the

Wagner 7 DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) says that it would take 50 years to clean up the high-priority sites when taking into account the current level of funding (Abandoned mine reclamation in Pennsylvania). Current forms of treatment seem to be effective when it comes to solving the problem of acid mine drainage. The question of finding a solution is not what to do, but rather how to pay for it. I recognize that fixing the problems associated with acid mine drainage, just on the statewide level, would take a lot of time and money. The watershed pamphlet interestingly states that reclaiming mined areas gives residents a new pride for their home and increases their sense of stewardship (Abandoned Mine Reclamation in Pennsylvania). Stewardship is a factor that I embrace; I closely associate myself with the stewardship worldview which values using the earth primarily for human benefit while still having a responsibility to manage the planet (Miller & Spoolman, 2009). As humans, we have already reaped the benefits of fossil fuels for well over a century. With plentiful technology and knowledge on how to fix the pollution, I feel that it is our duty to clean up the streams. It makes sense to fix the damages even from an anthropocentric standpoint, as people would be able to enjoy the aesthetics of nature as well as economy. Reclaiming mine sites can be beneficial, according to the watershed pamphlet, because it can create jobs, increase community pride, increase property values, and provide future sites for commercial and/or industrial endeavors (Abandoned mine reclamation in Pennsylvania). Reconnecting with the environment by cleaning up the polluted waters may even help strengthen our appreciation for coal heritage. Overall, my solution to the problem in my county and proximal locations in Pennsylvania would be a combination of raising awareness about acid mine drainage and starting specific taxes that would specifically go towards waterway cleanup. The obvious drawback to my approach,

Wagner 8 however, that people are not going to want to pay more money, and they would especially complain if they didnt understand the problems associat ed with acid mine drainage. Even though I lived in the region for my entire life, I still didnt know much about the explanation or background of the many rusty-looking creeks that I had seen until going out of my way to do some research for this project. Im sure many other people arent familiar with the specifics behind the problem, either. This is surprising to me, because Ive found that acid mine drainage is a huge worldwide problem yet it is not readily discussed. Awareness could be raised with advertisements about what acid mine drainage is and how it can be fixed on the internet, television, and radio. I wouldnt want these advertisements to make people feel guilty for something that was not directly their fault, but they should convey the fact that we should do the best in their power to clean up the planet. There could specifically be increased taxes on fishing and hunting licenses in the name of supporting acid mine drainage cleanup. Deer and other terrestrial animals would be more likely to hang around clean streams that they could drink from, and the cleaned streams would also be able to support aquatic life. Sportspeople would directly benefit from the increased amount of species, and paying a tax to specifically fund mine reclamation activities would grant them access to better habitats. These taxes could be at the state-wide level in order to raise funds for Eastern PA (near Schuylkill) and the heavily affected Western side of the day. This would probably leave some folks jaded; people may feel that its unfair for them to pay taxes that go towards projects on the other side of the state. Taxes could instead be determined by county, allowing the more severely affected counties to have a higher rate. Another problem with my solution would be when determining which streams get preferential treatment, and to what extent they are cleaned up. Cost-benefit analysis would be a useful tool when it comes to determining

Wagner 9 the optimal level of pollution for habitats that suffered damage from acid mine drainage. While completely eliminating pollution would be ideal, it's clear that the marginal cost of pollution control will eventual exceeds the marginal benefit. Cost-benefit analysis is described as "crude" (Miller & Spoolman, 2009), but comparing the monetary costs of cleaning up a particular stream to the monetary benefits and recreational benefits may reveal what specific places should get priority when it comes to cleanup. Acid mine drainage is a serious problem caused by many years of unregulated mining. When materials such as sulfur are leached into streams from unlined mines and leftover waste piles, the streams become tainted and unable to support life. This degrades habitats, recreation, aesthetic beauty, and drinking water supply. The problem has manifested itself worldwide and is more of a problem in other areas than it is in my hometown of Hegins. As a part of the Coal Region, Hegins has luckily seen success with an active treatment plant that has been in operation for almost 40 years. Other local areas, even in Schuylkill County, havent been so lucky. I feel that we citizens of the area should do our best to act as good stewards for the earth by doing whatever we can in our power to clean up the polluted creeks. By being more open about the drawbacks of our years proud coal tradition, the people of the anthracite region may be more willing to pay a few extra taxes in order to pay for the expensive cleanup.

Wagner 10 Works Cited Abandoned mine reclamation in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers [online pamphlet]. Retrieved from http://pawatersheds.org/wpcontent/uploads/2009/04/abandonedmine.pdf Acid mine drainage [Web video]. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il0UOMa-WPA Active treatment. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/kirby/RCr.html Azarch, A. (2011, February 16). Acid mine drainage: A prolific threat to South Africas environment and mining industry. Retrieved from http://www.consultancyafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68 0:acid-mine-drainage-a-prolific-threat-to-south-africas-environment-and-miningindustry&catid=92:enviro-africa&Itemid=297 History. (n.d.). Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine & Steam Train website. Retrieved from http://www.pioneertunnel.com/history.html Miller, G. T., & Spoolman, S.W. (2009). Living in the environment. (16e ed.). Belmont: Brooks/Cole. Terwilliger,V. (2009, December 3).Sen.Argall tours Rausch Creek AMD Treatment Plant. Citizen Standard. Retrieved from http://citizenstandard.com/sen-argall-tours-rauschcreek-amd-treatment-plant-1.458820 Wagner, Je. (2013, March 24). Interview by Ja. Wagner. What is acid mine drainage. US Environmental Protection Agency [online pamphlet]. Retrieved from http://www.sosbluewaters.org/epa-what-is-acid-mine-drainage[1].pdf

Wagner 11 Graphic A: Mining Effects on Rainfall Drainage

Mining effects on rainfall drainage. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://visualoop.tumblr.com/post/6884294164/mining-effects-on-rainfall-drainage

Wagner 12 Graphic B: Acid Mine Drainage Streams in the Mid Atlantic Region

Acid mine drainage in the mid-atlantic region (epa). Lehigh Environmental Initiative. Retrieved from http://www.ei.lehigh.edu/envirosci/enviroissue/amd/links/graphs.html

Wagner 13 Graphic C: Diagram of Rausch Creek AMD Treatment Plant

Active treatment. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/kirby/RCr.html

Wagner 14 Graphic D: Rausch Creek Treatment Plant Location and Creek Flow

Google Maps. (2013). Retrieved from https://maps.google.com/maps?q=rausch%20creek&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS446US446&aq =0&um=1&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=643&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=il