ABANDONED MINE LANDS

During World War II, the coal mining industry was encouraged to mine coal as fast as it could. Companies were discouraged from cleaning up after strip mining an area in the interest of mining coal as fast as possible. In fact, they were encouraged to leave the environmental destruction behind them as they moved on to the next mine site. These practices left many areas of the country with severe environmental problems, Hurricane Creek among them.

During the process of strip mining, materials which are harmless underground, such as pyrite which contains iron and sulfur, are uncovered and exposed to air and rain. When these materials combine with oxygen and water, the water becomes acidic and leeches metals out of the exposed soil. This metal-laden acid water (“acid mine drainage” or AMD) runs off into creeks and waterways where it kills the plants and animals living there.

In 1977 the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was passed. This law required mine operators to “reclaim” the land that they strip mined by minimizing acid runoff and replanting these areas. Mining companies are required to put up bond money to ensure proper reclamation.

SMCRA has gone a long way to improving water quality in coal mined areas, however many areas remain that are devastated by legacy strip mines. The North Fork and Blanchet Branch are two such areas in the Hurricane Creek watershed. Reclamation of abandoned mine lands are so expensive that it is rarely undertaken by the current property owners. Environmentalists wanting to see change in their watershed often partner with landowners, industry, and government agencies to take on reclamation projects.

The Friends of Hurricane Creek have fostered such a partnership in the Hurricane Creek Watershed Forum. The Forum’s membership is composed of not only environmental activists, but also landowners, the coal industry, developers, elected officials, and government agencies such as the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), the City of Tuscaloosa, and the Office of Surface Mining (OSM). Forum participants identified one of the worst spots in the watershed, the headwaters of Weldon Creek, and initiated a restoration project there. Funding was provided by OSM and the City of Tuscaloosa. Experts on acid mine drainage from West Virginia designed the project, and construction was completed in January of 2002.

The project treats the AMD with alkaline kiln dust. It’s like putting baking soda on battery acid to neurtalize it. Once the water becomes more neutral, the metals fall out of it.

The Alabama Rivers Alliance with the help of FOHC members are monitoring the water quality both upstream and downstream of the restoration project. Water quality seems to be improving slowly, but it may be a few years before we know for sure. Meanwhile, other areas of the watershed continue to suffer from AMD and still need fixing. There is no shortage or restoration possibilities.

To find more information on acid mine drainage, visit:
http://www.osmre.gov

"Our planet is beset with a cancer which threatens our very existence and which will not respond to the kind of treatment that has been prescribed in the past. The cancer of water pollution was engendered by our abuse of our lakes, streams, rivers, and oceans; it has thrived on our half-hearted attempts to control it; and like any other disease, it can kill us." -- Senator Ed Muskie of Maine, arguing for the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972

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