Company Could Resume Pumping Water From Mine Into Creek in Jan.

Washington, PA Observer-Reporter
22 December 2009
By Jon Stevens, Staff writer
jstevens@observer-reporter.com

[Click here for a 94K .PDF copy of the news release. You can click here for a 1.6 Meg .PDF copy of the actual order.]

Consol Energy could begin pumping water from its Blacksville No. 2 mine back into Dunkard Creek as early as the first full week in January.

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection on Monday granted Consol Energy's request to resume discharging the water, a practice the company stopped in September after fish and other aquatic life in the stream began to die.

Consol spokesman Joe Cerenzia said the W.Va. DEP order is "good news" because it allows the company to continue to operate the mine and ensure the safety of the workers.

"The final details have to be worked out, but we are looking at early January, perhaps the first full week, to begin pumping out the water," he said.

Cerenzia said water in the Blacksville mine was approaching critical levels, and "we were worried about the safety of the miners working underground."

He also said the DEP order requires Consol to submit a proposal for new mine water treatment plants for its operations in northern West Virginia. The first draft of a proposal is due in April, and the project must be completed by May 31, 2013.

And while Consol will be permitted to begin releasing water back into Dunkard Creek, the chloride discharges will be limited to 860 milligrams per liter when the water temperature is 50 degrees or higher.

State and federal environmental agencies believe golden algae, an algae normally found in saltwater, caused the fish kill along a 43-mile section of the stream. They also say high levels of total dissolve solids helped the algae flourish.

Cerenzia said a plant "of some type" will treat and remove chlorides before they are discharged. "That has to be done by May 2013," he said.

"The plant will have devices to monitor the discharge based on temperature and other factors to make sure we are in compliance," he said.

Blacksville No. 2 mine water historically has contained high levels of total dissolved solids, and Consol maintains the higher levels are apparently naturally present in parts of the coal reserve.