Section 319
NONPQfNT SOURCE PROGRAM SOGGESS STORY
Abandoned Mine Drainage Treatment Restores Drinking Water Source
atPrhnHv Imnrnx/pH LI°Ydville Run is the local name for an unnamed tributary
l/ tfd LUI LUU ¥ " ' lpl uvuu (UNT) to Bells Gap Run, which has been subject to historic
strip mine and deep mine coal extraction, resulting in impaired water quality because of
acid mine drainage (AMD). Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP)
added Lloydville Run to Pennsylvania's 2002 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list
of impaired waters for metals, pH and siltation. Water quality improved after PADEP's
Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (BAMR) installed a network of treatment systems
designed to remove metals and neutralize the acidity of the inflowing water. As a result,
PADEP expects to remove this 2.77-mile segment of Lloydville Run from the state's 2010
CWA section 303(d) list of impaired waters.
Problem
Lloydville Run (Figure 1) flows south near the
boundary of Pennsylvania's Cambria and Blair
counties before emptying into Bells Gap Run, which
flows into the Little Juniata River near Altoona. The
headwaters flow through state-owned game lands
that contain several abandoned strip and deep
coal mines that contribute AMD to Lloydville Run.
PADEP added the creek to the 2002 CWA section
303(d) impaired waters list because it was not
meeting water quality criteria for metals, pH and
siltation and was unable to support its aquatic life
designated use.
AMD forms when the iron sulfide mineral pyrite
in the mines is exposed to water and air, and a
chemical reaction occurs that produces acidic
water (low pH). The acidic water can leach various
contaminants from rocks in abandoned mines,
including metals that can pollute drinking water and
endanger aquatic life such as macroinvertebrates
and fish. Often, contaminants such as aluminum,
iron and manganese are found at toxic levels.
Depending on the circumstances, the pollutant that
poses the biggest concern at one site might not be
an issue at another site, further complicating the
problem.
Because AMD contributes to widespread acidic
water when it flows into surface water or groundwa-
ter, restoring an impaired stream can be challenging.
Figure 1. Lloydville Run in November 2008.
In general, the goal is to get metals to drop out of
solution by neutralizing the water's pH. This is done
by adding alkalinity to the source of AMD.
Project Highlights
PADEP BAMR designed three treatment systems
and a land-reclamation site to clean up the dis-
charges along Lloydville Run. The agency finished
constructing the treatment systems in the fall of
2001. The project included 18 acres of bare earth
revegetation above the treatment sites.
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The network of treatment systems includes an
anoxic limestone drain, a limestone vertical flow
pond, sediment ponds, and aerobic and anaerobic
wetlands. The treatment system series covers an
area of approximately 7 acres. To address specific
water chemistry issues, BAMR also implemented
passive treatment features to address several
acidic seeps from abandoned coal extraction
areas. Improved water quality in Lloydville Run
and Bells Gap Run benefits Bellwood Reservoir, a
downstream water source for the Altoona Water
Authority.
Results
Monitoring data collected at a sampling location on
Lloydville Run downstream of the treatment sys-
tems and land reclamation show that the pH level
increased from an average of 4.10 in 2000 to 6.92 in
2007 (Figure 2). Metal concentrations at the location
also dropped significantly over the same period.
Manganese dropped by 80 percent, aluminum
by 67 percent and iron by 59 percent. Monitoring
data collected between 2005 and 2007 show that
metal concentrations meet water quality standards
(Table 1).
In addition, PADEP biologists have documented
healthy populations of macroinvertebrates. All sites
sampled throughout the Bells Gap Run watershed
in 2008 produced Index of Biologic Integrity (IBI) val-
ues ranging from 66.4 to 94.4. An IBI value of 63 or
greater indicates good water quality and supports
removing a stream from the CWA 303(d) list. PADEP
expects to remove a 2.77-mile segment of Lloydville
Run (UNT to Bells Gap Run) from that list for pH and
metals in 2010.
Partners and Funding
Partners involved in restoring the watershed
include Environmental Alliance for Senior Involve-
ment (EASI), BAMR, and the Altoona Water
Authority. EASI performed the original water quality
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6
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1
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Lloydville Run pH Monitoring Results
pH before treatment pH after treatment
(2000) (2007)
Figure 2. Increase in pH in Lloydville Run from 2000 to 2007 as a
result of land treatment.
Table 1. Measured reductions in metal concentrations in
Lloydville Run
Metal
Aluminum
Manganese
Iron
2000 average
measured
concentration
(mg/L)'
2.7
2.6
1.5
2005-2007
average measured
concentration
(mg/L)
0.64
0.48
0.4
Water quality
criteria maximum
(mg/L)
0.75
1.00
1.50
1 mg/L: milligrams per liter
monitoring. Although the organization disbanded
locally, many of the same volunteers continue to
monitor the watershed. The project's total cost was
$503,970. PADEP's Growing Greener Program pro-
vided $337,515 and the U.S. Department of Interior
Office of Surface Mining's Clean Streams Initiative
funded the remaining $166,455.
\
PR
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-09-001CC
September 2009
For additional information contact:
Joseph Kelly
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Nonpoint Source Program
717-783-2404 • josephkel@state.pa.us
Pamela J. Milavec
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation
814-472-1832 • pmilavec@state.pa.us
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