Section B.2  A Review of Abandoned Mine Land Impacts in the Lackawanna Valley

B.2.1   Impact Parameters

The impacts associated with anthracite mining are known as abandoned mine land (AML) impacts.  AML impacts are found over 150-square-miles of the 350-square-mile Lackawanna River Watershed associated with the Llewellyn Formation.  Serious and physically prevalent AML impacts affect about 20,000 acres or 31.5-square-miles in the watershed. (See Maps 1 and 2)

Abandoned mine land impacts have been catalogued in a National Inventory of AML Impacts developed by federal agencies with input from their state agency counterparts.  The Pennsylvania Inventory of Abandoned Mine Land impacts is maintained by the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation of the Department of Environmental Protection.

The Lackawanna River Corridor Association has reviewed and excerpted statistical and spatial data from the PA AML inventory for the Lackawanna Watershed to create a reference base for the Lackawanna River Watershed Conservation Plan.

The data review, the historical document review, the River Reach and Tributary Stream surveys and ongoing meetings of reclamation agency stakeholders have all served to provide information to both this review of AML impacts and for the recommendations for the projects under development or planned and the longer term priorities for reclamation in the Lackawanna watershed.

The physical impacts of abandoned mine lands in the Lackawanna watershed affect the surface topography, subsurface integrity and geo hydrology of the valley.

The surface impacts affect topography, slope, soil and surface drainage, vegetation and natural habitat values, suitability for construction, public health and safety, community socioeconomics and aesthetics.

Subsurface impacts affect surface drainage, stream flow, ground water flow, the generation of acid and alkaline mine drainage and the stability of ground surface to support building or infrastructure uses.  Subsurface impacts also include active or potential mine fires.  Underground mine fires are presently burning at two sites near Carbondale.

B.2.2   Hydrologic Impacts

Geo hydrologic impacts are a combination of surface and subsurface impacts which result in interruption of natural geo hydrologic functions.  Partial or complete stream flow loss to subsurface mine voids, interception of base groundwater flows, infiltration of surface drainage all contribute to the generation of mine drainage which re-enters the river at twelve major points (over 1 mgd flow).

There is a consensus that the water budget and geo hydrology of acid (alkaline) mine drainage, AMD in the Lackawanna are major issues affecting the water and habitat quality of the tributary streams, the river, river and stream corridors.  The complete loss of stream flow on several second order tributaries causes a total degradation of these watersheds and exacerbates negative urban storm drainage impacts.

The AMD impacts in the upper watershed are viewed as having limited and localized impacts.  Water quality above Carbondale and in the Mid Valley reach of the river is affected as much by urban storm impacts and combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges as it is by AMD.  (See Map 3, Major AMD Point Sources on the Lackawanna River)

The downstream and confluence reach of the Lackawanna is critically impacted by the 100-million-gallon per day AMD flow from the Old Forge Bore Hole and the 40 mgd flow from the Duryea Outfall.  This three-mile reach of the Lackawanna utterly fails to meet its designated uses due to the AMD flows.  Over 3,000 pounds of iron and several hundred pounds of aluminum and manganese are deposited into the Lackawanna daily from the Old Forge and Duryea AMD’s.  A good portion of this load makes its way into the North Branch of the Susquehanna River at the Lackawanna/Susquehanna confluence.  The metals, which drop out of solution, cause a bright orange coating on the rocks, riverbed and any riparian vegetation or other objects in regular contact with the AMD-laden flow.

B.2.3   Surface Feature Impacts

The surface AML features also contribute to AMD and to the sediment loading of the Lackawanna River.  Large acreages of AML’s are unvegetated or undervegetated.  Several types of coal waste piles contribute various sized particles to the river’s bed load.  Percolation of storm drainage through coal wastes and sheet flow across unvegetated coal waste and mine spoil horizons adds to the number and size of suspended sediments and increases turbidity.  They also contribute larger mobilized coal waste silts, culm and overburden gravels and fines to the river’s bed load.

Due to the need for water to clean and process coal for market, coal breakers were often located along stream corridors or the river itself.  The processing of coal caused an immediate degradation to the water quality and habitat of the Lackawanna but also left an enduring legacy of pollutant generating rock and soil wastes deposited in and along the river, its tributaries and flood plains.

As early as 1904 government agencies and coal operators recognized the impacts on water quality from coal mining in the Northern Field.  W. F. Dodge, a mining engineer was commissioned by the Bureau of Mines to compile a report on water pollution in the Lackawanna and Susquehanna rivers caused by anthracite mining.  A map produced by Mr. Dodge to accompany the study illustrates the proximity and density of colliery (coal mining and coal breaker facilities) operations to the Lackawanna - Susquehanna rivers and their tributaries.  The original map, a classic engineers document, hand drawn in colored inks on starched linen vellum, extends from Nanticoke, Wilkes-Barre, and Pittston along the North Branch to Old Forge, Scranton, Olyphant, Carbondale and Forest City on the Lackawanna.

The map elegantly shows the rivers and tributary streams with selected adjacent towns shown with a few cross-hatched streets.  But starkly, along the streams are the numerous black dots representing the collieries, coal breakers, and washeries.  (See Figure 1)

B.2.4   Stream Morphology Dysfunctions

Nearly 100-miles of tributary streams are affected with a partial or a total loss of stream flow to the mine pool.  Significant reaches of the following streams loose total flow to the mine pool.  The remnant stream channels are morphologically dysfunctional, urban storm surges transport large amounts of erodible coal waste and urban debris through these channels and into the Lackawanna River.

Streams with total flow loss:

Mill Creek                              Sulphur Creek                        Grier Creek

St. John Creek                       Eddy Creek                            Storrs Creek

Greenwood Creek                 Sterry Creek                          Fall Brook

Keyser Creek                        Tinklepaugh Creek                Wilson Creek

Meadow Brook                      White Oak Run                      Coal Brook

Carter Creek                         Calendor Gap Creek

Streams with measurable flow loss:

Spring Brook                          Powderly Creek         Grassy Island Creek   

Roaring Brook                       Leach Creek               Lackawanna River

Streams with stream reaches completely obliterated by mining and post mining development impacts:

Campbell Ledge Run             Carter Creek                  Meadow Brook 

Red Spring Run                      Sulphur Creek                 Calendar Gap Creek

Greenwood Run                     Eddy Creek                      Coal Brook

Pine Brook                             Tinklepaugh Creek

Several of the tributary streams have extensive deposits of culm and silts from mining operations deposited in piles or spread across their flood plains.  The creeks with the most extensive depositional impacts are:

Mill Creek                              Storrs Creek                     Eddy Creek

Greenwood Creek                 Sterry Creek                     Coal Brook

St. Johns Creek                     Grassy Island Creek

Keyser Creek                        Powderly Creek

Due to the location of coal breakers and washeries at sites along tributary streams and on terraces and flood plains along the Lackawanna, there are nineteen culm dumps, silt basins and generalized coal waste sites and piles in, adjacent to or in close proximity to the water course and flood plain of the Lackawanna and several tributaries.  These sites are listed and their locations are shown on Map 5, Priority Culm Bank Removal.

Other areas on Map 5 are generalized areas where coal wastes constitute a majority of the elements in the soil horizons.  Many of these areas have been redeveloped to some degree with a variety of commercial, industrial or residential uses superimposed over previous mining uses during the past fifty years.  In most cases, these developments were not designed with environmental reclamation or restorative considerations.  Coal wastes have been regraded across the sites often with encroachments of coal waste materials into flood plains and water courses.  The practice is problematic and continues to occur particularly on small private land developments.

B.2.5   Socioeconomic and Aesthetic Impacts

Abandoned mine land impacts in the Lackawanna Watershed also affect socioeconomic decision-making, individual and community attitudes and landscape aesthetics.

The redevelopment and appropriate site preparation, geo technical and environmental considerations for an abandoned mine site add substantially to the cost of many projects.  This has precluded many economic and community development projects or presented undesirable alternatives such as building in a green field area contributing to urban sprawl or a decision to build and invest in another region or state.

The aesthetics of abandoned mine land are also a factor in public perception of the Lackawanna Valley both on the tourist or visitor and on the local citizens.  The legacy of environmental abuse encourages some individuals to add insult to injury by engaging in littering and illegal dumping.  Abandoned mine sites are often chosen locations for illegal dumping of auto tires, construction debris and household trash.  Malicious vandalism and arson often cause trash fires to ignite nearby coal waste on these sites.  An underground fire near Russell Park in Carbondale was ignited from a trash fire.  It continues to burn five years later after nearly two-million in efforts by the federal Office of Surface Mines to extinguish it.  The present best management strategy is allowing the fire to burn out towards the outcrop.  Monitoring bore holes and control trenches are reminders along with combustion gas vents that the fire continues to burn.

It is fortunate in many respects that most of the mine voids under the Lackawanna Valley are flooded.  This reduces the susceptibility for mine fires greatly.  The hydrostatic pressure of the mine pool also aids in subsurface stability.

Another socioeconomic impact of AML’s is the propensity of AML’s to attract both larger waste stream businesses and marginal local disadvantaged business enterprises.  AML’s in the Lackawanna Watershed host two municipal solid waste landfills, Keystone in Dunmore and Throop, Alliance at Taylor, Old Forge and Ransom.  These sites accept nearly 8,000 tons of municipal solid waste each day.  Ninety percent of this waste stream comes from other states or other regions in Pennsylvania.  Each site occupies four to eight-hundred acres and both are very visible from nearby interstate highways.

Other AML’s host auto salvage yards.  There are both permitted or grandfathered auto salvage yards and scrap yards covering approximately 1,000 acres between Duryea and Carbondale.  Five of these sites directly abut the Lackawanna River and one DeNaples Auto Parts, the largest in the area lies along two miles of Roaring Brook in Dunmore.  All of these sites are formerly AML’s.

The cumulative negative affects of the anthracite industry are an ongoing challenge to environmental reclamation and economic development of the Lackawanna Valley.  The recommendations and assessments being developed now will build on previous efforts during the past fifteen years to maximize the restoration efforts now being identified through strong public-private partnerships.  This plan will synthesize these efforts and will demonstrate that there is daylight at the end of the tunnel.