Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)

WASHINGTON – As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to clean up legacy pollution and revitalize the environment and economy of coal communities, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has awarded $150,000 in a cooperative agreement to the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (WPCAMR). OSMRE’s Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program provides funds to nonprofit organizations for the construction of acid mine drainage treatment facilities that help restore the health of local streams.

“Healthy watersheds are essential for communities, supplying water for municipal, industrial, agricultural and recreational uses,” said OSMRE Regional Director Thomas Shope. “WCAP funds help restore watersheds that have been negatively impacted by abandoned mine lands and support citizen-based conservation in coal communities.”

WPCAMR, a nonprofit dedicated to reclaiming lands and streams polluted by historic coal mining in Western Pennsylvania, was awarded the WCAP grant to help fund the Victor #10 Abandoned Mine Discharge Pipeline Construction Project, located in West Carroll Township, Cambria County.  WPCAMR will partner with the Cambria County Conservation District, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, the PA Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Abandoned Mines Reclamation, the PA Association of Conservation Districts Technical Office, Clean Streams Foundation, and several private landowners.

The project includes the construction of an underground pipe to collect and transport abandoned mine discharge to the existing 20 Mine treatment plant, where it will enter a series of ponds to remove the metals before entering the stream as clean water. This project will improve the water quality of approximately 1 mile of stream.

“People usually don’t associate abandoned mine drainage with the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay; yet there is significant AMD impact, especially in the upper reaches of the West Branch Susquehanna River,” said John Dryzal, district manager, Cambria County Conservation District. “The Victor #10 discharge is the first AMD discharge impacting the West Branch Susquehanna River. The Cambria County Conservation District investigated addressing this discharge over a decade ago, but treatment at that time was not feasible. Fast forward over 10 years, and we now have a viable treatment option that will contribute more than 78,000,000 gallons of clean water annually to the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay.”

About the WCAP Program:

WCAP grants are selected through a competitive merit review process and can fund the installation of passive or active water treatment systems, as well as the reclamation of lands that contribute sediment or acid forming materials to streams. WCAP grants result in partnerships that encourage long-term commitment to projects through engagement with local communities and nonprofit groups.

– OSMRE –

OSMRE carries out the requirements of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 in cooperation with states and Tribes. OSMRE’s objectives are to ensure that coal mining activities are conducted in a manner that protects citizens and the environment during mining, to ensure that the land is restored to beneficial use after mining and to mitigate the effects of past mining by aggressively pursuing reclamation of abandoned coal mines.