New emphasis puts focus on coal, nature
By CONNIE CARTMELL, Special to The NewsArticle Photos
MARIETTA - What does "clean coal" mean?
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin sees coal as a key part of the future.
Riding his ATV and overlooking strip mining operations just one farm away from his own, Dave Hawkins of Salem Township, can smile.
"I could hear the bulldozers going this morning," Hawkins said. "What this company is doing is both encouraging and enlightening."
Not long ago there was a time when few kind words to be heard about coal mining in southeast Ohio.
Hawkins, a former inspector for the Ohio Natural Resources Conservation Service's Rural Abandoned Mine Program, owns about 75 acres near Lower Salem and has a front row seat on the B&N Coal Co. surface mining and reclamation project there.
"They do a good job and they are good neighbors," he said.
Decades ago, surface mining in the region left the earth in shambles, with serious long-term damage that is still being felt today.
Persistent flooding along Duck Creek in the eastern part of Washington County is one obvious consequence.
"We have horrible flooding along Duck Creek from sedimentation that comes from mining," said local naturalist Marilyn Ortt. "Runoff from the mines has choked streams, and every once in a while we'll get a spill that devastates the entire stream environment."
Ortt recalls in 1997 when an underground mine broke through and thousands of gallons of acid mine water flooded Leading Creek in Meigs County.
"It literally killed everything," she said. "Now they are finally getting it cleaned up. It is amazing to me how much it is costing us today for the cheap electric power of yesterday."
Washington County does not have the same type of coal mines as Athens, Meigs, Hocking and Vinton counties, but there are other coal-related issues dogging this environment.
"I would say that coal's biggest negative impact in Washington County is air emissions," said Eric Fitch, director of the environmental science department at Marietta College. "It is used as the fuel for power plants and industry and because of the topography of the valley, is often trapped here."
Fitch said most coal-mining operations are located north of Washington County, but that doesn't allow the area to be home-free.
"Watersheds extend into this area," he said.
One problem is acid mine drainage, metal-rich water formed from the chemical reaction between water and rocks containing sulfur-bearing minerals.
"We don't have a lot of acid mine drainage in the county, and typically this is a major problem," said Jacki Zevenbergen, Duck Creek watershed coordinator with the Washington Soil and Water Conservation District.
An abundance of limestone between the mine sites to the north and Duck Creek provides a buffer in the soil to neutralize acid drainage, she said.
"Duck Creek does not have an acid water problem," Zevenbergen said.
The Muskingum River is also without an acid water issue because of the vast amount of water that flows downstream, diluting the problem, Ortt said.
The "big, big" problem in Washington County, Zevenbergen said, is sediment runoff, particularly in Duck Creek.
"It causes streams to plug up and then when there is flooding, we have a huge problem," she said.
Dredging is not an option.
"Dredging destroys the natural stream," Zevenbergen said. "Flooding, although it is bad for us, actually is the stream's way of purging itself of sediment. Eventually, if left alone, it will restore itself."
Roger Osborne, vice president and chief engineer with B&N Coal Co., of Dexter City, works to avoid potential environmental problems for the company.
The 45-year-old coal company is extending its surface mining operations in Lower Salem and Macksburg and is seeking leases to expand.
"What we do is re-mine old strip mines. This is not virgin ground," Osborne said. "Because of this, every place we've ever been has been improved because of our mining operations."
Historically, companies abandoned surface mines because they lacked the technology available to get the more hard-to-get coal out and it was simply too expensive to do. At that time, there were no laws about reclamation and the mining site was simply left to nature.
Today, coal companies have the technology necessary to go back into an old site and re-mine, Osborne said. Afterward, there is extensive reclamation.
"Years ago, coal companies often left a big mess," Osborne said. "It wasn't the fault of the companies," because there were no regulations.
Pits and high walls were left behind for future generations to deal with.
"We get awards every year for our reclamation work and are acknowledged throughout the country," Osborne said, "but nobody here knows."
The Wilds, in Muskingum County, is among the most prominent and visible of the large land reclamation projects in the region.
The project began in 1984.
It is one of the largest and most innovative wildlife conservation centers in the world, home to rare and endangered species from around the world.
A natural, open-range habitat, the Wilds offers guided tours in open-air buses to the public as well as educational and science programs.
From open surface mining decades ago, the Wilds landscape, which extended nearly 10,000 acres, has undergone major change to reclaimed grasslands and now healthy meadows.
"Mining ended here in the 1980s, but reclamation goes back to almost the turn of the century," said Nicole Cavender, director of restoration and ecology at the Wilds.
"Work is being done to enhance the habitat and increase diversity," Cavender said. "Restoration of the land is the ultimate goal, but it will never really be completely restored."
The land was once a hardwood forest.
"Nutrients in the soil are very low, and we've lost the native seed bank," Cavender said. "We are re-introducing trees, but it's very hard to get them going. It takes a very long time."
Changes do come, a little at a time, and are rewarding to see happen, Cavender said.
"We have seen benefits in two or three years, such as the butterfly habitat that has been implemented on 200 acres," she said. "We still have a ways to go."
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mythravere
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04-03-09 7:08 AM
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"Years ago, coal companies often left a big mess," Osborne said. "It wasn't the fault of the companies," because there were no regulations. This is funny. Regulations are put in place because a company will not act responsibly of it own accord. mccumbem They do not put the top soil back its gone and they spray hydroseed to get grass growing and the earth that is there can not support much life especially the kind it had before.
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mccumbem
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03-24-09 10:48 PM
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Lets calm down now... Another name for refuse when speaking about MTR is dirt. Now on MTR sites the top soil is placed back on the old site which encourages vegetation to grow back. Is it as it was before MTR, no, but progress must make sacrifices. Your power comes from coal, my power comes from coal. We really don't have an alternative, maybe someday. I applaud these new coal companies coming in and mining out the remaining coal from these sites. They then make a conscious effort to restore the land to a livable habitat for animals and vegetation. It may not be the natural settings, but its better than what was left from past generations.
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LilyOValley
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03-23-09 10:00 PM
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Why not pair this silly article with a picture of an MTR site where the mountain has been destroyed by dynamite and the refuse piled into the creek to make it toxic? Butterflies indeed... The Appalachians are not freaking grasslands; it is a hardwood forest. Leave it alone, or dig the mines UNDERNEATH the mountaintops.
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