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Abstract Ninevah Acid Mine Pollution Abatement Project Thomas A. Gray, GAI Consultants, Inc. Scott Horrell, PA DEP - BAMR
The Valley No. 2 mine in the Lower Kittanning Coal Seam, located in Seward, Pennsylvania, discharges the very acidic water from the Ninevah borehole, which flows downhill to the Conemaugh River. A Project Team was formed to investigate the feasibility of abating the acid mine drainage problem that represents a major source of pollution to the Conemaugh River by injecting alkaline coal ash into the Valley No. 2 Mine. The coal ash would be generated at the nearby Conemaugh Power Generating Station and the newly constructed Seward Power Station. The Project Team was tasked with developing the best strategy and design, using alkaline coal as injection and passive treatment technology, to mitigate the of very acidic mine water discharge. The discharges cause stream pollution resulting in little or no aquatic life downstream of discharges. Potential solutions were analyzed to find the best cost benefit ratio using alkaline coal ash as a 1) grout to encapsulate acid-forming materials; 2) grout to form seals to divert water away from acid-producing zones within the abandoned mine; and 3) non-cement slurry to neutralize the mine-water acidity. The technical solution of using non-cemented slurry followed by a passive treatment system was selected, presented to the project team, and accepted as the best approach. This paper will discuss the findings to date and future plans for the project.
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