Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Hydrologic Impacts of Multiple Seam Underground and Surface Mining: A Northern Appalachia Example

  • Technical Article
  • Published:
Mine Water and the Environment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

An underground mine complex overlain by extensive surface mining in north-central Pennsylvania is drained principally by one discrete discharge point at which the flow rate (median of 2,167 L/min) increased significantly (67%) above background (median of 1,317 L/min) during a 3 year period. The source of this major discharge rate increase and other unusual hydrologic characteristics were investigated. Subsequent to background monitoring, about 440 ha of surface mining and reclamation (85% of the recharge area) occurred on numerous seams overlying the underground mines, which induced greatly increased infiltration rates. A direct correlation was observed between the surface mined area and increased recharge to the underlying deep mines. Atypically, in-mine storage does not exist to any substantial degree in the basal Lower Kittanning underground mine from which the main discharge emanates. The overlying Middle Kittanning mine is the main storage unit for mine water. The Middle Kittanning mine behaves like a perched aquifer system because of the moderate vertical hydraulic conductivity (a median rate of 1.0 × 10−7 m/s) of the thin (mean of 11.7 m) clay-rich shale and siltstone interburden and local structural features. During periods of low recharge, pool levels decline to a point where most of the mine water flowing downward from the Middle Kittanning mine to the underlying Lower Kittanning mine is diffuse in nature. The discharge rate is consistently in a narrow range of 1,745–2,381 L/min about a median of 2,040 L/min. When surface infiltration rates are high, the mine pool levels rise, and a portion of the recharge from the Middle Kittanning mine to the lower seam mine is apparently more channelized, flowing through the backfill over the buried highwalls and into the underlying Lower Kittanning mine. During these periods, the flow ranges more broadly from 5,725 to over 11,356 L/min, about a median of 8,328 L/min.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agnew AF (1966) A quarter to zero–surface mining and water supplies. Min Congr J 52(10):29–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Booth CJ (1986) Strata-movement concepts and the hydrogeological impact of underground coal mining. Ground Water 24(4):507–515

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corbett DM (1965) Runoff contributions to streams from cast overburden of surface mining operations for coal, Pike County, Indiana. Water Resources Research Center, Report of Investigations No. 1, West Lafayette, IN, USA

  • Corbett DM (1968) Ground-water hydrology pertaining to surface mining for coal—southwestern Indiana. In: Proceedings of the, 2nd symposium on Coal Mine Drainage Research, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, pp 164–189

  • Curtis WR (1979) Surface mining and the hydrologic balance. Min Congr J 65(7):35–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Deane JA (1966) How strip mining improves mid-west water supplies. Coal Age, May 1966, pp 66–68

  • Dickens PS, Minear RA, Tschantz BA (1989) Hydrologic alteration of mountain watersheds form surface mining. J Water Pollut Control Fed 61(7):1249–1260

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglass JE, Swank WT (1975) Effects of management practices on water quality and quantity: Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, North Carolina. In: Proceedings of symposium on Municipal Watershed Management, USDA Forest Service, General Technical Report NE-13 Broomall, PA, USA, pp 1–13

  • Eaton TT, Bradbury KR (2003) Hydraulic transience and the role of bedding fractures in a bedrock aquitard, southeastern Wisconsin, USA. Geophys Res Lett 30(18): 4-1–4-5

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson HF (1967) Valley stress release in the Allegheny Plateau. Eng Geol 4(1):63–71

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson HF (1974) Geological observations and geotechnical effects of valley stress relief in the Allegheny Plateaus. In: Proceedings of, ASCE water resources engineering meeting, Los Angeles, CA, USA, pp 1–31

  • Ferguson HF, Hamel JV (1981) Valley stress relief in flat-lying sedimentary rocks. In: Proceedings of the international symposium on weak rock, Tokyo, Japan, pp 1235–1240

  • Fetter CW (1980) Applied hydrogeology. Charles E. Merrill Publ Co. Columbus, OH, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Fidler SR (1997) Spatial and temporal variability of hydraulic response in fractured low permeability sediments. PhD thesis, Dept of Earth Science, Univ of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

  • Guebert MD, Gardner TW (2001) Macropore flow on a reclaimed surface mine: infiltration and hillslope hydrology. Geomorphology 39:151–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins JW (1998) Hydrogeologic characteristics of surface-mine spoil. Ch 3, Prediction and Prevention of Mine Drainage Pollution in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Dept of Environmental Protection, Harrisburg, PA, USA, p 3-1–3-11

  • Jorgensen DW, Gardner TW (1987) Infiltration capacity of disturbed soils: temporal change and lithologic control. Water Resour Bull 23(6):1161–1172

    Google Scholar 

  • Kleeschulte MJ, Seeger CM (2005) Stratigraphy and vertical hydraulic conductivity of the St. Francois confining unit in the Viburnum Trend and the evaluation of the unit in the Viburnum Trend and exploration areas, southeastern Missouri. USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4329, Washington, DC, USA

  • Lieberman JA, Hoover MD (1951) Stream-flow frequency changes on Coweeta Experimental Watersheds. Trans Am Geophys Union 32(1):73–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackay DM, Cherry JA (1989) Groundwater contamination: pump-and treat remediation. Environ Sci Technol 23(6):630–636

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Messinger T, Paybins KS (2003) Relations between precipitation and daily and monthly mean flows in gauged, unmined and valley-filled watersheds, Ballard Fork, West Virginia, 1999-2001. USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4113, Washington, DC, USA

  • Scales AS (1992) A model for relating coal mining impacts to Appalachian Plateau fracture–fracture ground water systems. Prof Geol 33:15–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Truax CN (1965) Water storage potential of surface mined coal lands. Min Congr J 51(12):40–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Watzlaf GR (1988) Chemical stability of manganese and other metals in acid mine drainage sludge. In: Proceedings of, American Society of Surface Mining and Reclamation, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, pp 83–90

  • Watzlaf GR, Casson LW (1990) Chemical stability of manganese and iron in mine drainage treatment sludge: effects of neutralization chemical, iron concentration, and sludge age. In: Proceedings, of the Mining and Reclamation Conference and Exhibition, Charleston, WV, USA, pp 3–9

  • Wells, LG, Ward AD, Phillips RE (1982) Infiltration characteristics of Kentucky surface mine spoil and soils, In: Proceedings, of Symposium on Mining, Hydrology, Sedimentology, and Reclamation, Lexington KY, USA, pp 445–456

  • Wiley JB, Evaldi RD, JEychaner JH, Chambers DB (2001) Reconnaissance of stream geomorphology, low streamflow, and stream temperature in the mountaintop coal-mining region, southern, West Virginia, 1999-2000. USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 01-4092, Washington, DC, USA

  • Wyrick GG, Borchers JW (1981) Hydrologic effects on stress-relief fracturing in an Appalachian Valley. USGS Water Supply Paper 2177, Washington, DC, USA

  • Yost Associates, Inc., undated, Toby Creek mine drainage pollution abatement project, Operation Scarlift, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA, USA

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Joe Tarantino of the Knox District Office of the PADEP for his help in data collection in the course of this investigation. Gratitude is also extended to Bill Sabatose of the Toby Creek Watershed Association and Rich Beam of Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (BAMR), Cambria Office for their aid with this study. Appreciation goes out to Clifford Dodge of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey for graciously sharing mine maps and his own work for this project and Dan Sammarco of the BAMR, Cambria Office for affording us the opportunity to conduct this study. The aid provided by the Brandy Camp crew, Tim Shaw, Michael King, and John Belkowski, during this study was invaluable. Special thanks go to Dr. Eric Perry for his comments and critical review of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement, Pittsburgh, PA, 15220, USA

    J. W. Hawkins

  2. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Ebensburg, PA, 15931, USA

    J. J. Smoyer

Authors
  1. J. W. Hawkins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. J. Smoyer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. W. Hawkins.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

10230_2011_157_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Supplemental Figure 1. Example of grasses growing on recently-reclaimed surface mined areas within the recharge area for the Brandy Camp discharge (TIFF 705 kb)

10230_2011_157_MOESM2_ESM.tif

Supplemental Figure 2. Planted and volunteer trees beginning to populate reclaimed surface mined areas within the recharge zone for the Brandy Camp discharge (TIFF 624 kb)

10230_2011_157_MOESM3_ESM.jpg

Supplemental Figure 3. Interburden core sample exhibiting high angle subsidence-induced fracture with iron staining due to ground water contact in a siltstone unit (JPEG 50 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hawkins, J.W., Smoyer, J.J. Hydrologic Impacts of Multiple Seam Underground and Surface Mining: A Northern Appalachia Example. Mine Water Environ 30, 263–273 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-011-0157-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-011-0157-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation