Study Confirms Mountaintop Removal Stream Damage
Charleston Gazette
12 December 2011
By Ken Ward Jr.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A new study in a major scientific journal
confirms previous findings that link mountaintop removal coal
mining to significant degradation of downstream water quality.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, found increased salinity and metals in waters downstream
from mining operations at Patriot Coal's Hobet 21 complex along
the Boone-Lincoln County border.
Duke University researchers Ty Lindberg and Emily Bernhardt, along
with five other researchers, co-authored the paper, called,
"Cumulative impacts of mountaintop mining on an Appalachian
watershed."
"Our results demonstrate that the cumulative impact of multiple
mines within a single catchment and provide evidence that mines
reclaimed nearly two decades ago continue to contribute to
significant water quality degradation within this watershed," said
the paper, published online on Monday.
Coal industry officials favor mountaintop removal for its
efficiency, and most coalfield political leaders support the
practice.
But federal regulators and citizen groups point to a growing body
of scientific evidence that shows mountaintop removal causes
serious damage to Appalachian forests and streams, and to newer
research that strongly suggests a link between mountaintop removal
and adverse health effects.
Duke researchers sought to assess the cumulative impacts of more
than 100 permitted discharge outlets draining about 11 square
miles of active and reclaimed mountaintop removal permits at Hobet
21, in the Upper Mud River watershed.
The Upper Mud flows through Boone and Lincoln counties as a
headwater stream until it reaches the Mud River reservoir about 15
miles downstream. For about six miles, the river passes through
the Hobet 21 complex, which has been active since the 1970s and is
frequently touted by the industry as a well-run mountaintop
removal operation with quality reclamation practices.
Duke researchers collected 152 sets of samples from 23 sites,
including two sites upstream from mining sites, between May and
December 2010. They sampled for electrical conductivity, a measure
of salinity, and for concentrations of major ions and trace
elements derived from coal or the surrounding rocks.
Co-author Richard Di Giulio said all conductivity measures taken
downstream from mine discharge outlets "exceeded levels known to
be harmful to aquatic life." Upstream from mining, conductivity
measures were within safe levels.
"As eight separate mining-impacted tributaries flowed into the
Upper Mud, conductivity and concentrations of selenium, sulfate,
magnesium and other inorganic solutes increased proportionately,"
said co-author Avner Vengosh. "Nearly 90 percent of the variation
in trace elements and salinity could be explained by the amount of
upstream surface mining."
Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kw...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1702.