US EPA

8274197 

Journal Article 

The effect of coal surface mining on the water quality of mountain drainage basin streams 

Minear, RA; Tschantz, BA 

1976 

1 

Journal of Water Pollution Control Federation
ISSN: 0043-1303 

48 

11 

2549-2569 

English 

Six small watersheds ranging from 1.7 to 11 sq km (0.7 to 4.3 sq mi) within the New River Basin of the Cumberland mountains of Northern Tennessee have been monitored weekly and simultaneously for water quality between January and December 1975. Three watersheds were undisturbed by mining activity and served to establish bench mark data. The other three watersheds represented varying stages of coal mining activity, ranging from initiation of surface mining in one watershed to essentially complete stripping three years ago and current deep mining activity in another. Distinct differences are observed for the variables pH, alkalinity, sulfate, calcium, magnesium, iron manganese, total solids, and suspended solids among the disturbed watersheds. In contrast to the undisturbed watershed stream constituent concentrations which were quite uniform from stream to stream and from sample to sample. A study undertaken in the New River Basin of the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee established bench mark water quality data in an area where very little drainage remains outside the influence of coal mining activity. Water quality was also monitored in streams draining areas either previously disturbed by surface mining or undergoing active mining to allow direct contrast of values under similar climatological and hydrological conditions. The results of first-year observations on six watersheds, three of which were undisturbed by mining activity, are presented and contrasted with other case studies of a similar nature but conducted in other Appalachian locations.