By Donna Wagner, Water Pollution Biologist, DEP

Watershed and other conservation groups have been installing Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) passive treatment systems for over 20 years.  Many of these systems have had issues and groups have been successful obtaining funding to fix the problems.   

Unfortunately, some of the other passive treatment systems that are known to be malfunctioning; either the group has not been able to obtain funding to fix the problem or there are no organizations around taking ownership. 

Finally, there are some passive treatment systems out there that we have no idea what condition they are in.

The Department of Environmental Protection would like to try to get a handle on what systems are known to be having issues to determine the need and costs for Operation, Maintenance, and Rehabilitation (OM&R) in case more funding would become available. 

DEP is hoping groups will complete a survey found at the following link on AMD treatment systems and their associated OM&R needs. 

The survey can be found HERE.

The survey should be completed by January 10.

Questions should be sent to Donna Wagner by sending email to: donnawagne@pa.gov  or Dave Leiford by sending email to dleiford@pa.gov.

[Visit the  Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation and Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation website for more information on passive mine drainage treatment.

[Visit the Datashed website to learn about systems near you and what the results of the treatment are for your local streams.

[ Learn how local nonprofit groups like Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition, Stream Restoration, Inc. and BioMost, Inc are involved in developing and maintaining passive mine drainage treatment systems.]

(Photo: View of 3 wetland ponds at Saint Vincent College in Westmorland County that provide passive treatment of acid mine drainage before it enters Fourmile Run, a tributary to the Loyalhanna Creek- Triblive.com/Saint Vincent College.)

(Reprinted from the latest Abandoned Mine Post newsletter by the Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation.  Send an email to Andy McAllister to be added to the email list: andy@wpcamr.org.)

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[Posted: December 6, 2019]

12/9/2019