Changes in ground-water quality resulting from surface coal mining of a small watershed in Jefferson County, Ohio

Book · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6694131

Hren, J

Two samples were collected from each of six wells in a small watershed in Jefferson County, Ohio, in 1984. The watershed was mined and reclamation begun in 1980. Data collected from 1976 through 1982 indicate that groundwater quality was still changing at the time. Four years after mining, the upper saturated zone was destroyed by mining and replaced by spoils material during reclamation. A new saturated zone then formed in the spoils material. The pre-mining median concentrations of sulfate, manganese, and dissolved solids in the upper saturated zone were 84 mg/L, 30 micrograms/L, and 335 mg/L, respectively. The post-mining median concentrations of these constituents in the upper zone wells disturbed by mining were 360 mg/L, 595 microgram/L, and 814 mg/L, respectively. Concentrations of these constituents were still increasing in 1984 in the upper saturated zone. In the area not disturbed by mining, concentrations have remained nearly at pre-mining levels. The pre-mining median concentrations of sulfate, manganese, and dissolved solids in the middle saturated zone were 47 mg/L, 10 microgram/L, and 405 mg/L, respectively. The post-mining median concentrations of these constituents were 390 mg/L, 490 microgram/L, and 959 mg/L, respectively. In the middle saturated zone, concentrations of these constituents also were still increasing in 1984, probably due to mixing with water of the upper saturated zone. 5 refs., 15 figs., 7 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 6694131
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
COAL MINING
CONTAMINATION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FEDERAL REGION V
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MANGANESE
METALS
MINING
MONITORING
NORTH AMERICA
OHIO
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE MINING
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
USA
WATER
WATER POLLUTION