EPA: Mine Discharges Contributed to High Levels of TDS in Dunkard Creek

West Virginia Public Broadcasting
2 December 2009
By Ben Adducchio

December 2, 2009 · An Environmental Protection Agency report lists toxins from a golden algae bloom as the cause of a fish kill at Dunkard Creek. But it also says high levels of pollution from mine discharge created conditions for the algae to grow.

The algae bloom decimated the creek’s aquatic life in September. An EPA report says discharge from two Consol Energy mines helped the toxic algae grow in Dunkard Creek.

EPA Aquatic Biologist Lou Reynolds wrote the preliminary report on the EPA’s findings.

“High TDS is associated with better growth of this algae,” he said, “those mine discharges are the major contributors.”

A few weeks ago, Reynolds tested water samples in several southwestern Pennsylvania streams, searching for the golden algae that was found in Dunkard Creek.

He found golden algae present in one stream, Whiteley Creek in Greene County.

Whiteley is the watershed just north of Dunkard. He says no dead fish have been found in the creek yet.

“It’s not blooming in Whiteley Creek at this time,” he said. “There’s not enough algae there to make the toxins to kill fish.”

Reynolds says the EPA will carefully monitor Whiteley Creek to study whether the algae blooms.

TDS levels are high in this creek as well.

CONSOL Energy Director of Public Relations Joe Cerenzia says CONSOL strongly disagrees with the findings in the EPA report.

“Our position is that we still think further study is needed, we think there are a lot of factors that contributed to the algae bloom, aside from discharge from our mining operations,” he said.

“We have been willing to work and have been working with regulatory agencies on coming up with a cause.

It is our belief that there still a lot of things happening with Dunkard Creek that need to be determined before you can come out with a final, definitive conclusion.”

There is a public meeting today on the Dunkard Creek fish kill at the Mount Morris Gospel Tabernacle Church in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania.