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.