Consol Seeks to Resume Mine Discharges into Dunkard Creek
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
10 December 2009
By Don Hopey
West Virginia will soon agree to allow Consol Energy to resume pumping
water from its Blacksville No. 2 Mine into Dunkard Creek, where mine
discharges have been blamed for contributing to stream conditions that
caused the death of thousands of fish, mussels and other aquatic life
in September.
Pittsburgh-based Consol asked the West Virginia Department of
Environmental Protection for permission to resume the discharges, which
contain high concentrations of dissolved solids or TDS, because water
in the active Blacksville No. 2 mine has been rising and could soon
affect the safety of miners underground.
"We're still working on a final plan to begin discharges with West
Virginia and it's going to be soon because it's getting to be a
critical time," said Joe Cerenzia, a Consol spokesman.
At the suggestion of the West Virginia DEP, Consol agreed to shut down
discharges from its Blacksville No. 2 Mine, an active mining operation,
on Sept. 17, to determine what effect that would have on the then
ongoing fish kill.
The mine discharges containing high levels of TDS created the kind of
brackish water conditions in the creek in which toxic algae was able to
thrive and bloom, killing gill-breathing aquatic species in about 43
miles of the creek along the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border.
Mr. Cerenzia said if water in the mine continues to rise it could
create unsafe conditions and within a "few weeks" force the company to
idle the mine, which employs approximately 600.
Kathy Cosco, a West Virginia DEP spokeswoman, said the department is
"working out the final details" on a discharge agreement that could be
announced tomorrow.
"We need to finalize the conditions under which pumping can resume and
flesh them out," Ms. Cosco said. "The department understands the
concerns of the miners and we understand the concerns of people along
Dunkard Creek that have concerns about water quality. We're making sure
we address both."
Don Hopey can be reached at dhopey@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1983.