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.