This article originally provided by DEP News mailing list

August 3, 2006

Impoundment, portal issues to be fixed

WAR - Safety and environmental issues at a former McDowell County mine site are being corrected by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

An impoundment that was once part of the Atwater and Poco Domestic Coal Company mine that operated in the 1940s near War will be drained as part of a $434,956.50 contract awarded to A-A Energy Inc. of Welch.

One part of the site consists of nine portals, some of which are draining onto residential land and some of which are being used as a water supply. Another part of the site consists of the impoundment and 15 portals, three of which are possibly being used by bats. Others are draining and some are being used by residents as a water supply.

Three bat gates and 20 wet or dry mine seals will be installed. Proper drainage channels and outlets and sediment controls also will be installed. All disturbed areas will be reclaimed.

Work at the site is expected to continue for one year.

Funding for this project comes from the Abandoned Mine Land Fund supported by fees on each ton of coal produced by active coal mining operations. The fee collection is set to expire Sept. 30, 2007.

To determine where high metal levels are coming from, the geology of the area and what is going on at that particular site needs to be factored in, Webb said.

Clifton said she just wants to know that coal mines are doing things the right way.

“It's a great concern for me,” Clifton said.

Citing that Consol began mining in 1923, Clifton said “methods of mining back then are nothing like they are today,” with a lot of machinery and hydraulics, for example.

Overall, Clifton said she is “pretty pleased with how they [the Division of Water] took it [the sample].”

The Division of Water also tested Clifton's well water and water from a few other wells in the area. Kevin Francis, a ground water hydrologist out of Hazard, said they would be testing the water for dissolved metals, total metals, bulk variables, nutrients, volatile organic chemicals, glyphosate, pesticides and bacteria. He said the Division of Water did most of the leg work last week when they came out, and today they were just there to get samples.

The other samples came from the stream.

Clifton said she intends to have water samples taken, as well, to compare the results to results officials come up with.

The Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement (OSMRE) also came out to Virgie yesterday. However, these officials did not allow the News-Express to accompany them during their visit, and OSMRE officials were not available for comment at the office yesterday regarding their visit's purpose.

Staff writer Lindsay Lancaster can be reached via e-mail at llancaster@news-expressky.com.