Today we started out with a trip to Joe Knob. This is an area that is a reclaimed strip mine. We also toured an area called Buck Lilly which is a working surface mine that is adjacent to Joe Knob. In order to have access to either area Boozie Scarles, an employee of the Department of Environmental Protection had to be with us at all times. We had to consolidate all of us into 2 vans for our tour. We were unable to get out of the vans to take water quality samples as planned because of poor weather. It poured down rain all morning. As it turned out we ended up getting to see more of the area by staying on the vans. According to Boozie, most of the reclaimation at Joe Knob was done in the 1970's and 1980's. The topography of the reclaimed area is completely different than it was originally. The photos below show an almost flat area in some places that is grassed over with some trees growing here and there. Mostly they are black locust trees.
.
Most of the plant life that is in this ecosystem is not native to the area. The grassy areas were planted with the same types of grasses that are used along highways. They grow fast and put down roots so the soil is not eroded away. They have a thick matted appearance on the ground almost like a carpet. The down side to using the fescue type grass is that it blocks the native plants out as they try grow back. We did not see any wildlife in this area either. Dr Little said he and some Marshall students attemped to plant blueberries in this area last year. Boozie said some of them are still alive and growing. I did see some maple trees as we were on the way back down and someone else from our group noticed some wild blackberries growing along side the road. During the time we were in the area there was alot of heavy rain which caused a larger than normal ammount of runoff . The runoff from the gob piles, the current mining operation, and the rain is treated almost immediately before it begins its journey down the hill by way of Big and Little Clear Creeks. Boozie said Little Clear Creek is a trout stream. We saw several of the large white tanks shown below that contain hydrogen sulfate that is mixed in with the runoff to treat it
As the water procedes down the mountain it is treated several times again in containment ponds before it is finally released into Big and Little Clear Creeks
Some of the ponds have most of the water evaporated out leaving a black sludge.
As we left the Joe Knob area, Boozie showed us an area where more trees had been planted on the hillsides in 2005 in an effort to help speed up the recovery effort. I found it interesting to see how the reclaimation methods had changed somewhat between 1980 and 2005.
.
Most of the plant life that is in this ecosystem is not native to the area. The grassy areas were planted with the same types of grasses that are used along highways. They grow fast and put down roots so the soil is not eroded away. They have a thick matted appearance on the ground almost like a carpet. The down side to using the fescue type grass is that it blocks the native plants out as they try grow back. We did not see any wildlife in this area either. Dr Little said he and some Marshall students attemped to plant blueberries in this area last year. Boozie said some of them are still alive and growing. I did see some maple trees as we were on the way back down and someone else from our group noticed some wild blackberries growing along side the road. During the time we were in the area there was alot of heavy rain which caused a larger than normal ammount of runoff . The runoff from the gob piles, the current mining operation, and the rain is treated almost immediately before it begins its journey down the hill by way of Big and Little Clear Creeks. Boozie said Little Clear Creek is a trout stream. We saw several of the large white tanks shown below that contain hydrogen sulfate that is mixed in with the runoff to treat it
As the water procedes down the mountain it is treated several times again in containment ponds before it is finally released into Big and Little Clear Creeks
Some of the ponds have most of the water evaporated out leaving a black sludge.
As we left the Joe Knob area, Boozie showed us an area where more trees had been planted on the hillsides in 2005 in an effort to help speed up the recovery effort. I found it interesting to see how the reclaimation methods had changed somewhat between 1980 and 2005.
The following photos show the Buck Lilly area where the current mining operation is going on. Quite a difference from what we saw at Joe Knob. As we entered the mining area the overcast day made it seem all the more dismal and depressing. This is our view as we went up the hill. As you can see everything is black and dirty from the coal dust. The large white truck below is a water truck that was spreading water on the road to keep the dust down.
The photo below is the actual coal seam that they are currently mining. The coal is removed and sent off to be cleaned. It is not of a high enough quality to be used for steel production so it is used for steam coal.
In addition to the strip mining operation, modern technology has made it possible to go back and remine the gob (waste) pile (see photo below) to get coal that was not cost effective to take in the 1950's.
While we were at Buck Lilly we actually got to see the miners removing the surface layers to get at the coal seam. Due to the nature of all the heavy equipment being used Boozie had to go ahead of us in his truck to be sure it was safe for us to pass by.
In the photo below waste water can be seen gushing out of the hillside just to the right of the silver hydrolic bar on the arm of the back hoe.
This water also runs down the mountain into a containment pond to be treated before it is released.
After lunch we went to Nuttallburg to do our last water quality testing. Nuttallburg was once a thriving mining town located on the lower New River. We didn't get to see much because there was construction going on. There is not much left of Nuttalburg but foundations and the old tipple which is being restored.
We ended out our day at the New River Gorge. After a brief stop at the Canyon Rim Visitors Center, we went down to see the bridge.
The rail line still runs along the river just as it did in the days when the gorge was being mined and timbered. I think it is ironic that one of the most beautiful areas in the state is adjacent to an area that is still being mined. Beauty and the Beast so to speak.
No comments:
Post a Comment