Schuylkill River Mine Water Discharge

[Upstream]

According to a recent article in the Pottsville Republican Herald, plans are being made to fix the mine water drainage problem that has plagued the borough of Palo Alto, Schuylkill County for years.

http://republicanherald.com/news/dep-proposes-solution-to-palo-alto-s-mine-water-issue-1.1533631

The primary concern is and should be for the health and safety of the borough residents and the prevention of further damage to their property. The proposal would include the construction of a pipeline to gather and discharge mine water into the Schuylkill River.

I am concerned that there has been no mention of the impact to the river by this discharge of water. There was also no mention of any proposed water treatment based on the quality of the mine water. There has been much progress made by the many individuals and organizations involved in water treatment and habitat improvement projects in recent years in the head waters of the river system. This spirit of environmental stewardship must continue in an effort to restore the river for the enjoyment of future generations.

 

[Chaz]

I have to assume that the water 'in the mountain' is neutral, otherwise it would be treated first. If it isn't treated, then it needs to be, the only trib I see on the map at Palo Alto is Mill Creek which has wild brookies in it and is an AMD stream, as is the river at that point.

 

[Upstream]

Good news. It appears that someone in authority has recognized that this mine water will need to be treated before it is discharged into the river.

http://republicanherald.com/news/pottsville-sewer-authority-expresses-mine-water-concerns-1.1543640

 

[Mike]

Thanks for the post. I contacted the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation about this as a result of your having included the links. The Bureau engineer was not aware of wild trout being in the Schuylkill or the fingerling stocking program there. I mention the Schuylkill because the discharge is not slated for Mill Ck; it is planned for the Schuylkill immediately below Pottsville. I think that the trout will now be a consideration as the plans for the discharge are developed.

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear upstream and Mike,

Thank you to both of you.

It's nice to see that something posted on PAFF resulted in two State agencies working together to improve things for the rest of us.

Good work!

Regards,

Tim Murphy