The Kalp and Melcroft AMD Abatement Projects

The Kalp and Melcroft AMD Abatement Projects

Rich Beam P.G.PA DEP Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation

2008 AMR ConferenceState College, PAAugust 12, 2008

Kalp & Melcroft

•The project involved two abandoned underground mine sites with significant water quality and public health and safety problems. Melcroft #1 Mine (Kalp site) and the Melcroft #3 Mine (Melcroft site)

•Kalp site was a significant priority 2 health and safety hazard, because of its impact to adjacent homes, properties and public highways and its potential for a mine pool blowout.

•Melcroft site was inundating a number of basements and damaging homes in the nearby Village of Melcroft

•Remediation efforts at both sites relied on in-seam directional drilling to facilitate control of the mine pools and collection of the mine discharges.

Kalp & Melcroft• Problem Areas PA 2767 and PA 0429

• Project Start/Completion Dates: July 9, 2005 – October 2007

• PROJECT PARTNERS:

• PA-DEP Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation

• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

• Mountain Watershed Association, Inc.

• U.S.D.O.I. Office of Surface Mining

• Foundation for PA Watersheds

• Local Landowners

Kalp & Melcroft Historical Perspective

•In 1924 Melcroft Coal Company and other mining companies were enjoined and restrained from allowing AMD discharges into the upper Indian Creek Watershed by the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas.

•The lawsuit was brought against the various coal companies by the Pennsylvania Railroad and several private water companies

•In order to comply with the court, the mining companies constructed a mine drainage “flume” to collect and convey mine drainage.

•The seven-mile system, originally constructed with wooden flumes provided connections to and between existing mine workings.

Kalp Site Aerial View

Kalp Waterfall: AMD Discharge

Impacting Nine Miles of Indian Creek

The Kalp opening was the mine discharge location prior to project implementation and also the original starting point for the flume system.

Kalp Discharge flowing into the main stem of Indian Creek

Melcroft Site Aerial View

Melcroft Mine Pool Impacts

Melcroft Mine Pool Impacts

Background

Project Included:– Discharge Relocation– Vertical Drilling– Horizontal Borings– Mine Pool Dewatering and Treatment– Mine Pool Stabilization– Mine Pool Monitoring

Background

Issues or Items for Consideration– Availability of accurate mine

mapping– Mine pool water quality –

stratification– Site geology / hydrogeology– Condition of mine workings

Background

Issues or Items for Consideration (continued)

– Hydrologic conditions within the mine– Surface and mineral ownership– Future treatment plans– Receiving Stream Water Quality– Permitting

Mine Pool Dewatering

Issues or Items for Consideration (continued)

– Treatment Requirements• Availability of Land for Treatment• Chemical Choices• Sludge Handling• Monitoring• Costs

– Safety

Needed to secure easements from landowners whose property will be

affected by project. There were six in original plan.

Kalp & Melcroft Directional Drilling

•Drill pad constructed at the downdip cropline

•Two 8- inch directional borings through the coal seam

•60 feet of pressure grouted 12-inch casing per drill hole

•Exploratory vertical boreholes into the abandoned mine provided target coordinates and served as injection wells for water encountered during Directional Drilling

Kalp & Melcroft Directional Drilling

Directional Boreholes

Drill Pad

Kalp & Melcroft Directional Drilling

Kalp & Melcroft Directional Drilling

Kalp & Melcroft Directional Drilling

Kalp & Melcroft Directional Drilling

Kalp & Melcroft Directional Drilling

Kalp & Melcroft Directional Drilling

Kalp & Melcroft Directional Drilling

Kalp & Melcroft Directional Drilling

Kalp & Melcroft Directional Drilling

Kalp & Melcroft

•Directional drilling relocated the current discharges to areas proximal to the proposed (phase 2) treatment systems.

•Provided a mechanism to lower mine pool hydraulic head and was a lower cost and minimal disturbance alternative to the construction of overland mine drainage pipelines

•Approximately 30 feet of mine pool hydraulic head was gradually and permanently removed at both project sites

•Substantially less disturbance to properties, homes and public roads located between the discharge areas and the treatment system locations.

Kalp & Melcroft Chemical Treatment

•After completion of drilling activities BAMR released two contracts to dewater and chemically treat the Kalp and Melcroft mine pools.

•The objectives were to expeditiously address health and safety concerns and to aid in the design and construction of the phase 2 treatment projects.

Kalp & Melcroft Chemical Treatment

Kalp & Melcroft Chemical Treatment

Kalp & Melcroft Chemical Treatment

Kalp & Melcroft Chemical Treatment

•Kalp site: 80,655,000 gallons of mine pool water treated using

201,012 gallons 20% Caustic Soda •Melcroft site: 48,630,000 gallons

of mine pool water treated using 48,208 gallons 20% Caustic Soda

•Total Treatment cost at Kalp Site = $209,286.00

•Total Treatment Cost at Melcroft Site = $98,961.00

Mine Pool Drawdown Kalp Site

1445

1450

1455

1460

1465

1470

1475

1480

3/1/2006 3/31/2006 5/1/2006 6/1/2006 7/1/2006 8/1/2006 9/1/2006 10/1/2006 11/1/2006

Date

Ele

vati

on

(ft

)

Kalp Site Raw Water Quality

Kalp Site Raw Water Quality

STARTING TO DIG OUT THE PONDS

Making Rapid Progress

Wetlands at the Site: Mitigation—Sure Hope It Grows

Grow—Grow—Grow!!!

Complete!

Design Flow 600 GPM

Influent Effluent

pH 3.1 6.8

Acid 224 mg/l 0 mg/l

Fe 40.2 mg/l 1.4 mg/l

Mn 2.9 mg/l 2.8 mg/l

Al 11.5 mg/l 0.6 mg/l

Kalp & Melcroft• CONSTRUCTION COST (Phase 1):

• AML Funds - $ 658,248.00

• USDA NRCS Funds - $ 446,480.00

• Total Project Cost - $1,104,728.00

• CONSTRUCTION COST (Phase 2 Kalp system): • AML Funds - $ 1,300,000.00• USDA NRCS Funds - $ 427,000.00

• Total Project Cost - $1,727,000.00

Questions?