Mine Water Availability in the Pittsburgh Coal Basin

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Mine Water Availability in the Pittsburgh Coal
Basin

• Bruce Leavitt, P.E., P.G.
• Joe Donovan, Ph.D.
• Eberhard Werner
• Brenden Duffy
• Hydrogeology Research Center
• WV Water Research Institute
• West Virginia University

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flooded mine near Bobtown PA (ca 50 below
drainage)
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Major elements of Pittsburgh Mine Water
Hydrogeology

• Where is the Water?
• How much is there?
• What is its water quality?
• Where, when, and how might it become a water
  resource?

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Wheres the water???

• Closed mines
• Flooded
• Flooding
• Free-draining
• Mines flood in generally predictable fashion
• After flooding, water must be pumped or it will
  discharge at the surface

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Extent ofmine flooding,2003
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Morgantown-Fairmontflooding, 1994
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Morgantown-Fairmontflooding, 1996
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Morgantown-Fairmontflooding, 1998
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Morgantown-Fairmontflooding, 2000
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Morgantown-Fairmontflooding, 2001
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How much is there (2003)?

• 122 mines fully flooded or flooding
• 1227 free draining
• Majority of flooded mines are relatively small
  (lt2 square miles)
• Flow 86,400 gpm 29 is treated

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Size of mine water reservoirs
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Total water volume in storage
acre-feet All
mines (122) 1,461,000 Large mines
(26) 1,446,000 (99.0) gt1200
acres Excludes 1227 free-draining mines with
negligible water in storage
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Total discharge from basin
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Estimatedmine discharges,year 1980
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Estimatedmine discharges,year 2003
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What is its water quality?

• Flooded mines tend to become net alkaline with
  decreasing iron loads
• Free draining mines stay acidic for years
• Bimodal chemistry results

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iron,year 2003
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aluminum,year 2003
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Net alkalinity,year 2003
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iron,year 2003
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How might this water become a resource?

• Potential water users
• Power plants (cooling water)
• Light industry
• Obstacles to overcome
• Water treatment
• Collection system
• Economics

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cooling tower
Mine A
power plant
discharge
metals removal
water polishing
Mine B
plan view not to scale
Mine C
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Summary

• The Pittsburgh mine complex is becoming fully
  saturated an aquifer
• Its currently the 2nd most productive aquifer in
  the mid Atlantic region
• For the short term, water control/treatment will
  be required, but the water quality is improving
  and will continue to improve
• In the short and long terms, we need to work to
  develop innovative ways to use this water resource