This article originally provided by the DEP News List

June 3, 2005

Blackwater spills into Elkhorn Creek

KEYSTONE - A pump failure at a McDowell County mine facility caused a
blackwater spill that discolored Elkhorn Creek for more than one mile this
morning, according to the West Virginia Department of Environmental
Protection.

Keith Porterfield, a Division of Mining and Reclamation deputy director,
says a pump failed at Bluestone Coal Corporation's Keystone preparation
plant at around 8 a.m. allowing an undetermined amount of blackwater to pass through and overwhelm sediment pond structures before entering the stream.

A Notice of Violation has been issued and the incident is still under
investigation.