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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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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