US EPA Region IV Surface Coal MiningField Activities 2009-2012

Adventures in Mountain Top Mining / Valley Fill

Chris Decker

Overburden Removed

Spoils placed in adjacent valley,

Diagram of MTM/VF Process

Draglines remove coal, create spoil piles

Regrading and continued dragline removal

Final regrading, revegetation

Environmental Impacts• Water Chemistry: Increased conductivity, Ca, Na, Se, K, Mg, Mn, and SO4

– impacts fish & macroinvertebrates

• Hydrology– downstream greater base flow

• Compaction of soils– slow regrowth of trees & and woody plants

• Loss of streams and wetlands

• Fragmentation of forests

• Terrestrial animal communities– Increase grassland birds & snakes, decrease in amphibians

• cumulative environmental costs have not been fully investigated

• social, economic and heritage issues

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Regulations

Mining operations are regulated under:• Clean Water Act (CWA)

• Section 402 – discharges to streams EPA, States• Section 404 – filling of streams/wetlands EPA & ACOE

• Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA)

• Operating standards, permits, inspections DOI

What Have We Been Asked To Do

• Assess current conditions in order to guide permit decisions

• Establish baseline data for continued monitoring

• Investigate cumulative impacts

A Typical Study Site

Field Activities• Water Quality Assessment

• water samples and in-situ monitoring• conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, temp• metals, hardness,• sulfate, chloride, alkalinity, solids

• Bioassessment• Macroinvertebrates - Kentucky MBI• Fish - IBI and tissue• Stream habitat

• Hydrologic Permanence Evaluation• North Carolina method (2005)• trace water flow to origins• geomorphology, hydrology, biology• document ephemeral, intermittent, perennial

• Flow status has regulatory implicationsx

Field Work 2009-2012Number of Projects 28

Streams 187

Ponds 70

Total Water Samples 331

In-Situ Water Quality Observations 414

Hydrologic Permanence Assessments 54

Benthic Macro Samples 179

Fish Samples (Tissue) 33

Fish IBI 11

Selected In-Stream Data 2009-2012METALS (µg/L) MIN MEDIAN MAX

Barium 12 31 74

Cadmium 0.05 0.21 0.81

Calcium 1100 34000 250000

Iron 100 320 4800

Lead 0.1 0.27 2.3

Magnesium 870 20000 160000

Manganese 5 64 5800

Mercury 0.00055 0.1 8.2

Nickel 10 23.5 200

Potassium 1000 2550 13000

Selenium 2.0 3.2 8.5

Hardness 6 160 1300

CLASSICALS (mg/L) MIN MEDIAN MAX

chloride 0.52 1.2 250

sulfate 5.3 140 1100

TDS 15 270 1800

TSS 4.1 11 92

IN-SITU MIN MEDIAN MAXconductivity (µS/cm) 8 420 3292

pH 3.68 7.69 9.21

turbidity (NTU) 0 4.15 1492

BENTHICS MIN MEDIAN MAX

RBP habitat score 96 144 190

Total Taxa Rich. 6 56 102

EPT Taxa Richness 0 15 34

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Future Plans

• New Study

• Cumulative Impacts of Mining in Eastern Kentucky (CIMEK)

• Long Term Conductivity Monitoring

Cumulative Impacts Study (CIMEK)• 60 Stations• Sample Quarterly• Water Samples• Macroinvertebrates• Fish

• Continuous Conductivity Monitoring– 25 stations– deployed HOBO loggers

• Possible 2nd year extension ($$$)