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Characterization of a Highly Acid Watershed Located

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Characterization of a Highly Acid Watershed Located CHARACTERIZATION OF A HIGHLY ACID WATERSHED LOCATED MAINLY IN PERRY COUNTY, OHIO A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology Ohio University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree Master of Science by Ryan J. Eberhart August, 1998 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Kenneth B. Edwards for all of the time spent guiding me through the course of this thesis project and all of the hours spent out in the field collecting data. I would also like to thank Branko Olujic for the many hours spent out in the field taking water samples and measuring flowrates and for writing the computer program to calculate flowrates. Next, I would like to thank Dr. Ben J. Stuart for all of his contributions to the project and Dr. Mary Stoertz and the Geology Department for allowing us to use their flume, probes, and pygmy meters. A special thanks goes to Hocking College for all of their help with collecting water samples and measuring flowrates out in the field. Also, I would like to thank Dr. James K. Lein for serving on my graduate committee and for his Geography 579 class notes regarding ARC/INFO, which I referenced in my thesis. Lastly, this project would not have been possible without assistance from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, who fbnded this project and the Department of Civil Engineering at Ohio University who gave me the opportunity to work on this thesis project. "To Robyn, Taylor, and my parents" TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I . INTRODUCTION......................................... I I1 . LITERATUREREVIEW .................................... 3 Coal Mining in Ohio ..................................... Mining Legislation ....................................... ImpactofMining ........................................ Important Studies Relevant to Moxahala Creek Project ........... Impact of Coal Mining on Three Ohio Watersheds-Surface .... Water Hydrology Watershed Selected for National Program ................. Water Quality and Biological Goals for an Ohio Watershed .... Damaged by Coal Mining GIs Helps Water Supplier Meet Objectives Cost-Effectively... AMD: U.S. Bureau of Mines Researches and Develops....... Control Methods for Both Coal and Metal Mines WVU Cleans AMD from the Casselman River .............. Mine Pollution Case Lingers ............................ Fledgling Remediation Firm Stakes Claim at Bunker Hill ...... Aquatic Ecological Risk ............................... The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977..... Release of Sorbed Sulfate from Iron Oxyhydroxides .......... Precipitated from AMD Associated with Coal Mining Previous Work in the Moxahala Creek Watershed ................ Creek Characteristics................................. Site History ........................................ *Erosion....................................... Sedimentation.................................. Loss of Usehl Land ............................. Mine Drainage Pollution .......................... Chapter Remediation Techniques................................... 33 Active Treatment Systems............................. 34 Alkaline Additions (Chemical Treatment) .............. 34 FBC Ash Grouting ............................... 37 Passive Treatment Systems............................. 39 Sulfate Reduction ................................ 39 Constructed Wetlands ............................ 41 Anoxic Limestone Drains (ALDs) ................... 42 *Summary.......................................... 44 Purpose of Present Research Project .......................... 45 I11 . FIELDDATA.............................................. 47 Identification of Flows ..................................... 47 Sampling Equipment ...................................... 51 Flow Measurement Methods ................................ 53 Cutthroat Flume ..................................... 53 PygmyMeter....................................... 56 Bucket and Stopwatch ................................ 58 Water Quality and Flowrate Data ............................ 60 IV . GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM...................... 61 Data Collection and Map Digitization......................... 61 Building Topology ....................................... 62 ArcViewGIS ........................................... 63 Creating Maps ...................................... 64 Performing Searches and Queries ........................ 68 Conclusion............................................. 71 V . DISCUSSION ............................................. MoxahalaCreek ......................................... Andrew Creek .......................................... McCluney Creek ......................................... BlackFork ............................................. Chemical Loading Analysis ................................. *Acidity ............................................ Sulfate............................................ Metals (Fe, Al, and Mn) ............................... Chapter Paae Water Quality Predictions .................................. 92 Methods for Prediction ................................ 92 Prediction Results .................................... 93 Andrew Creek Project .....................................98 Data Collection and Water Sampling...................... 100 Flow Measurement Methods ............................101 Water Quality Data Analysis............................ 102 VI . CONCLUSIONS ...........................................106 REFERENCES .............................................11 1 APPENDIX ................................................116 LIST OF TABLES Table P- 1. Brief Description of How to Get to Each of the 32 Sampling Locations .... 49 2 . USEPA Test Methods for Various Analytes ......................... 52 3 . Flow Measurement Methods for Each Sampling Location for Each Month . 54 4 . Monthly Water Quality Data for Moxahala Creek Sampling Locations ..... 78 5 . Effect of Andrew Creek on Moxahala Creek's pH ..................... 80 6 . Effect of Andrew Creek on Moxahala Creek's Specific Conductivity ....... 80 7 . Water Budget for the Confluence of Andrew Creek and Moxahala Creek ... 80 8 . Average Effect of Black Fork on Specified Water Quality Characteristics... 83 of Moxahala Creek 9 . Acid Loads of the Tributaries to Moxahala Creek ..................... 86 10. Sulfate Loads of the Tributaries to Moxahala Creek ................... 88 11. Iron Loads of the Tributaries to Moxahala Creek ..................... 89 12. Aluminum Loads of the Tributaries to Moxahala Creek ................. 90 13. Manganese Loads of the Tributaries to Moxahala Creek ................ 91 14. Average Iron and Aluminum Concentrations of all Tributaries to .......... 94 Moxahala Creek 15. Average Iron and Aluminum Concentrations of Moxahala Creek .......... 95 Table 16. Average Iron and Aluminum Concentrations of all Tributaries to. 96 Moxahala Creek After Complete Hypothetical Restoration of Andrew Creek, Bear Creek, McCluney Creek, and Black Fork Average Water Quality Characteristics of Moxahala Creek Over its. 107 Final 20 Miles (afier junction with Andrew Creek) Computer Program to Calculate Flowrate ARer Measuring Velocity and. 117 Area with a Pygmy Meter Water Quality Data for the Moxahala Creek Watershed for April 1997. 120 Water Quality Data for the Moxahala Creek Watershed for May 1997. 121 Water Quality Data for the Moxahala Creek Watershed for June 1997. 122 Water Quality Data for the Moxahala Creek Watershed for July 1997. 123 Water Quality Data for the Moxahala Creek Watershed for August 1997. 124 Water Quality Data for the Moxahala Creek Watershed for September 1997 125 Water Quality Data for the Moxahala Creek Watershed for October 1997. 126 Water Quality Data for the Moxahala Creek Watershed for November 1997. 127 Water Quality Data for the Moxahala Cieek Watershed for December 1997 128 Water Quality Data for the Moxahala Creek Watershed for January 1998. 129 Water Quality Data for the Moxahala Creek Watershed for February 1998. 130 A. 13. Water Quality Data for the Andrew Creek Watershed for February 1997. 13 1 LIST OF FIGURES 1. Location Map of the Moxahala Creek Watershed ......................26 2 . Location Map of the Moxahala Creek Watershed (Within USGS 7.5. ..... 26 Minute Quadrangles) 3 . Moxahala Creek Watershed Sampling Locations ......................48 4 . Sample Calculation for Determining Flowrate Using the Velocity-Area ..... 59 Method 5 . Underground Mines Located Within the Moxahala Creek Watershed .......65 6 . Surface Mines Located Within the Moxahala Creek Watershed ...........66 7 . Both Underground and Surface Mines Located Within the Moxahala .......67 Creek Watershed 8 . Streams Having a pH < 4.0 in August 1997.......................... 69 9 . Various pH Levels for those Streams Having a pH < 4.0 in August 1997.... 70 10. Average pH of All Months for Moxahala Creek .......................74 1 1. Average Specific Conductivity of All Months for Moxahala Creek ........ 75 12. Average Acidity of All Months for Moxahala Creek ................... 76 13 . Average Sulfate Concentration of All Months for Moxahala Creek .........77 14 . Preliminary Sampling Locations and Underground Mines Within the ....... 99 Andrew Creek Watershed 15. Andrew Creek Watershed Sampling Locations ....................... 103 xi Figure Paae A . 1. Moxahala Creek pH (April 1997 through September 1997).............. 132 A.2. Moxahala Creek Specific Conductivity (April 1997 through September 1997). 133 A.3. Moxahala Creek Acidity
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