The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, in cooperation with the Maryland Bureau of Mines and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, recently completed a multi-year project to determine the risk of polluted water discharge from mine pools near the North Branch of the Potomac River.
Mine pools develop when mining ceases and the voids left fill with groundwater. These pools can eventually overflow and discharge polluted water to the surface. To avoid overflow conditions, water can be pumped from the mines and treated.
The study examined the characteristics of the groundwater that has accumulated in two extensive pool systems. One of the mine pool systems underlies the head waters of the North Branch tributary of the Potomac River, spanning more than 25,000 acres in both Maryland and West Virginia. The other, Fairmont Mines, spans 52,000 acres under the tributaries of the Monogahela River. The report discusses current conditions, possible risks with contaminated discharge into the river systems, treatment plans, and management plans.
For now the mine pools that are currently filled to their maximum level are controlled and maintained by discharge collection and treatment. Some pools, however, pose future, moderate to high, risk of overflowing into the river unless action is taken. If they do overflow they will contaminate the river with high levels of iron, calcium, and sulfate concentrations which can be dangerous to the organisms living in the river system.
OSMRE Press Release
OSMRE North Branch Potomac River Mine Pool Assessment Study
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