Tag Archive: acid mine drainage

May 18

Crayons and Clean Water

The colorful side of water remediation. In Pennsylvania, abandoned coal mines have left a dirty legacy… thousands of miles of streams polluted by acid mine drainage. Wetlands can be used to treat the water. But in the process, they accumulate a lot of metal sludge that has to be removed – often at great expense. …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/toxic-contamination/crayons-and-clean-water/

Apr 02

Abandoned coal mines leave an enduring water legacy

When coal is mined in Pennsylvania, other minerals and metals including iron sulfide and aluminum are exposed and left behind. They’re typically harmless as long as they stay dry, but… Ryan: “As you get more precipitation, your water table increases. If you have too much groundwater it can fill up voids in underground coal mines …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/stormwater-management/abandoned-coal-mines-leave-an-enduring-water-legacy/

Mar 24

When a wet winter can be bad for water quality

For more than 100 years, coal was mined near Turtle Creek in western Pennsylvania. The river became polluted. “But that began to improve through the 1970s,” says Gary Smith of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. He says regulations and restoration projects led to cleaner water. Then last year a very wet winter filled abandoned mines …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/stormwater-management/turtle-creek/