Environmental-control-technology survey of selected US strip-mining sites: water-quality impacts and overburden chemistry of western Kentucky study site

Technical Report · Wed Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6074843

Hood, W C

As part of a program to examine the ability of existing control technologies to meet federal guidelines for the quality of aqueous effluents from coal mines, an intensive study of water quality was conducted at a surface coal mine in western Kentucky during 1976 and 1977. Water sampling locations reflected drainage from active mined areas and from areas mined in 1969-1975. In addition, the receiving stream was sampled above and below the point of effluent discharge. Water in the northern and central drainage areas was being treated with a sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution, after which the treated drainage flowed into a settling pond. In general, the NaOH treatment and the settling ponds were effective in maintaining effluents that complied with federal standards for pH, iron, and total suspended solids. Manganese levels, however, exceeded the permitted daily maximum in more than 30% of the samples taken. The treated mine effluent is of better overall quality than the water in the receiving stream. Only sodium concentrations (due to the NaOH treatment) are higher in the mine effluent than the receiving stream. Accompanying overburden sampling and analysis completed for this project indicated a negative value for the net neutralization potential; however, the mine practice of quickly burying overburden units with abundant pyrite probably minimizes water quality problems at this site.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6074843
• Report Number(s): ANL/EES-TM-219; ON: DE83014210
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
012000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Mining
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
COAL
COAL MINING
CONTROL
DATA
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION IV
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
KENTUCKY
LIQUID WASTES
MANGANESE
MATERIALS
METALS
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OVERBURDEN
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION CONTROL
SAMPLING
SURFACE MINING
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
USA
WASTE WATER
WASTES
WATER
WATER QUALITY
WATER TREATMENT