Abstract
A water quality assessment was conducted on three Appalachian streams polluted by coal mining at the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Tennessee and Kentucky. Results showed that sulfate was an excellent parameter for detecting the effects of coal mining and that sulfate analyses used in conjunction with conductivity readings provided the best detection index. Acidity and pH readings were relatively insensitive indicators, reflecting the mining pollution only after sulfate concentrations already indicated severe pollution levels.
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References
Doyle, W. S.: 1976, Strip Mining of Coal—Environmental Solutions, Noyes Data Corporation, New Jersey, 352 pp.
Parker, R. S. and Carey, W. P.: 1980, The Quality of Water Discharging from the New River and Clear Fork Basins, Tennessee. USGS Water Resources Investigations 80-37. U.S. Geological Survey, Nashville, TN, 52 pp.
Rikard, M., Kunkle, S., and Wilson, J.: 1986, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area: Water Quality Report 1982–1984, Water Resources Report No. 86-7. Water Resources Division, National Park Service, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 66 pp.
Additional information
Hydrologist, Big South Fork NRRA, during the study; presently at Cape Lookout National Seashore
Hydrologist, NPS, during the study; presently with USDA-Forest Service, Washington, DC.
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Rikard, M., Kunkle, S. Sulfate and conductivity as field indicators for detecting coal-mining pollution. Environ Monit Assess 15, 49–58 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00454748
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00454748