Photo: Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation
Section 3. Managing Watershed Stresses
ABANDONED
MINE DRAINAGE
One of the biggest water pollution problems in the upper Schuylkill watershed
is acid water and dissolved metals draining from abandoned coal mines. Approximately
103 miles of assessed streams in the upper watershed are impaired by abandoned
mine drainage (AMD). But progress is being made. In recent years, more than
16,000 acres of abandoned mines have been reclaimed in Schuylkill County.
Pennsylvania’s current Reclaim PA program is a combination of planning, funding and technical assistance to increase abandoned mine land reclamation and encourage re-mining of older mines through new “green” technology. The program emphasizes local initiatives and partnerships with nonprofit groups. In the Schuylkill watershed, the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR), working closely with County Conservation Districts, assists local watershed groups and municipalities in developing and obtaining reclamation project funding. One of those groups is the Schuylkill Headwaters Association (SHA), an all-volunteer organization which is enhancing the public’s awareness of the Schuylkill.
In 2001, the Schuylkill Conservation District, in association with the EPCAMR, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network’s Schuylkill Office and SHA, completed an assessment of the Upper Schuylkill tributaries. It identified 35 mine sites and recommended remediation of 11 priority sites in five sub-watersheds. Remediation strategies include source reduction, wetland construction, limestone channels, vertical drains and active treatment.
Figure 37.
Coal Mine Remediation
Sites and Streams Impaired by Abandoned Mine Drainage
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
and Schuylkill Conservation District, 2000
Site Design: Tevlin & Clarke
