Environmental control technology survey of selected US strip mining sites. Volume 2A: Ohio: water quality impacts and overburden chemistry of Ohio study site

Technical Report · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5664735· OSTI ID:5664735

Bogner, J E; Henricks, J D; Olsen, R D; Schubert, J P; Sobek, A A; Wilkey, M L; Johnson, D O

An intensive study of water, overburden, and coal chemistry was conducted at a large surface mine in Ohio from May 1976 through July 1977. Sampling sites were chosen to include the final mine effluent at the outflow of a large settling pond and chemically-treated drainage from a coal storage pile. Samples were collected semimonthly and analyzed for total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, alkalinity, acidity, sulfate, chloride, and 16 metals. Field measurements included pH, flow rate, dissolved oxygen, and specific conductance. The final effluent, where sampled, generally complied with Office of Surface Mining reclamation standards for pH, iron, and total suspended solids. Comparison of the final effluent with water quality of an unnamed tributary above the mine suggested that elevated values for specific conductance, total dissolved solids, sulfate, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and zinc were attributable to the mine operation. In general, there were observable seasonal variations in flow rates that correlated positively to suspended solids concentrations and negatively to concentrations of dissolved constituents in the final effluent. Drainage from the coal storage pile contained elevated levels of acidity and dissolved metals which were not reduced significantly by the soda ash treatment. The storage pile drainage was diluted, however, by large volumes of alkaline water in the settling pond. Analysis of overburden and coal indicated that the major impact of mine drainage was pyrite oxidation and hydrolysis in the Middle Kittanning Coal and in the Lower Freeport Shale overlying the coal. However, the presence of a calcite-cemented section in the Upper Freeport Sandstone contributed substantial self-neutralizing capacity to the overburden section, resulting in generally alkaline drainage at this site.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5664735
• Report Number(s): ANL/EMR-2(Vol.2A)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900 -- Coal
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACID MINE DRAINAGE
ALKALI METALS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ALUMINIUM
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
CADMIUM
CALCIUM
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
CHROMIUM
COAL
COAL MINES
COBALT
COPPER
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DATA FORMS
DECOMPOSITION
DISPERSIONS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GREAT LAKES REGION
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLYSIS
INFORMATION
IRON
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON SULFIDES
LYSIS
MAGNESIUM
MANGANESE
METALS
MINERALS
MINES
MINING
MIXTURES
MONITORING
MONTHLY VARIATIONS
NICKEL
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OHIO
ORES
OVERBURDEN
OXIDATION
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POLLUTION
PONDS
POTASSIUM
PYRITE
PYRITES
SODIUM
SOLIDS
SOLUTIONS
SOLVOLYSIS
STRONTIUM
SULFATES
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR ORES
SURFACE MINING
SUSPENSIONS
TABLES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
USA
VARIATIONS
WATER POLLUTION
WATER QUALITY
ZINC