International Journal of Mine Water | © International Mine Water Association 2006 | www.IMWA.

info

IntemtatwtiaZ JacmzaZ of Mine Water, 2 (1982) 1 - 14

Printed in Granada, Spain

CHARACTERIZATION OF RUNOFF WATER FROM COAL-

WASTE DISPOSAL SITES I N SOUTHWgSTERN ILLINOIS
L.M. Mele, P.F. Prodan, and J.P. Schubert
Argome National Laboratory
9700 South Cass Avenue
Argonne, I l l i n o i s USA 60439

ABSTRACT

Coal wastes a r e the mineral matter rejected from coal during cleaning
operations. The refuse c o n s i s t s mainly of shale, clay, p y r i t e , and
waste coal. At many disposal s i t e s i n I l l i n o i s , considerable q u a n t i t i e s
of sediment, a c i d i t y , sulphate, and dissolved metals have been washed
from these s i t e s and have contributed t o the degradation i n q u a l i t y of
the receiving streams.

Hydrologic and water-quality d a t a were gathered from three abandoned,

unreclaimed, coal-waste disposal s i t e s i n southwestern I l l i n o i s . Two
of t h e disposal s i t e s were recontoured, limed, covered with 30 cm of
g l a c i a l till and l o e s s , f e r t i l i z e d , and seeded. Data collected one t o
two years a f t e r renovation of these s i t e s indicated t h a t : (1) runoff
r a t e s were s i g n i f i c a n t l y increased because the s o i l cover was l e s s
permeable t h a n t h e c o a l w a s t e ; ( 2 ) peak r u n o f f r a t e s d i d n o t seem
t o be a f f e c t e d ; and ( 3 ) a c i d i t y , sulphate, and metal concentrations i n
surface runoff waters were r"educed by about 80-90% following reclama-
tion. However, g r a d u a l i n c r e a s e s i n a c i d i t y , s u l p h a t e , and m e t a l
concentrations i n runoff water a t the Staunton s i t e have occurred two
years a f t e r reclamation and may continue t o r i s e i n the future. This
i n d i c a t e s t h a t the p y r i t e and i r o n sulphate s a l t s contained i n t h e coal
Nastes w i l l make reclamation a gradual long-term process -- one t h a t
cannot be solved immediately by grading, liming, and covering with s o i l .

INTRODUCTION

Coal i n e v i t a b l y contains some amount of rock and mineral matter when i t

i s mined. Sulphur i n coal i s undesirable because it i s converted during
combustion t o sulphur dioxide, causing a i r pollution and acid deposi-
tion. Shale, clay, and other mineral matter a r e a l s o undesirable i n
t h a t they cause slagging and fouling problems i n a b o i l e r and c o n t r i b u t e
t o excessive p a r t i c u l a t e matter i n stack gases. Therefore, several
types of d e n s i t y separation methods a r e commonly used t o clean coal
p r i o r t o i t s use. I n 1974, 553 x l o 6 t o f c o a l were mined i n t h e
U.S.; of t h a t amount, approximately 241 x 106 t 144%) of coal were
produced from mechanical c l e a n i n g , r e s u l t f n g i n 89 x lo6 t of

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coal-cleaning wastes [ I ] . I n 1975, about 97 x lo6 t o f coal-cleaning

w a s t e were produced 121. Present production r a t e of coal wastes i s
a b o u t 110 x lo6 t p e r y e a r and i s l i k e l y t o c o n t i n u e i n c r e a s i n g i n t h e
future.

Two d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f w a s t e s a r e c r e a t e d by most c o a l - c l e a n i n g methods.

The c o a r s e d e n s e m i n e r a l w a s t e s a r e d e p o s i t e d i n l a r g e p i l e s o r v a l l e y
f i l l s . Once c o a l i s removed, t h e remaining washwater c o n t a i n s f i n e c o a l
and suspended m i n e r a l m a t t e r . This s l u r r y m a t e r i a l ( f i n e waste) i s
pumped t o impoundments where i t i s allowed t o s e t t l e o u t o f s u s p e n s i o n .
P r i o r t o t h e 1970s, coal-waste d i s p o s a l s i t e s , i n most c a s e s , were
n e i t h e r p r o p e r l y d e s i g n e d n o r r e c l a i m e d b e c a u s e s t a t e and f e d e r a l
r e q u i r e m e n t s governing such a c t i v i t i e s were i n a d e q u a t e . Abandoned,
unreclaimed c o a l w a s t e s cover a p p r o x i m a t e l y 70,800 h a i n t h e U.S. [ 3 ] .
I n I l l i n o i s a l o n e , 2040 h a of waste p i l e s and 6615 h a o f s l u r r y m a t e r i a l
l i e unreclaimed [ 4 ] .

The v a s t amounts o f c o a l wastes t h a t have amassed o v e r t h e p a s t c e n t u r y

a r e c a u s i n g c o n s i d e r a b l e h e a l t h , s a f e t y , e n v i r o n m e n t a l , and a e s t h e t i c
problems, p a r t i c u l a r l y in t h e n o r t h e a s t e r n and midwestern U. S . Mass
movement of w a s t e p i l e s ( s l i d e s ) on o c c a s i o n have k i l l e d p e o p l e , de-
s t r o y e d homes, and d e v a s t a t e d s t r e a m v a l l e y s . Erosios, o f wastes h a s
caused s e d i m e n t a t i o n of s t r e a m s , p s e m ~ t u r e f i l l i n g o f r e s e r v o i r s , and
d e s t r u c t ion s f a q u a t i c b i o t a , Another p e r s i s t e n t e n ~ i r o m e r ~ b aproblew l
i s caused by t h e o x i d a t i o n of p y r i t e . Coal. r e f u s e can c o n t a r n up t o 25%
p y r i t e (by w e i g h t ) , whictt i s o x i d i z e d and taydrolyzed when exposed t o
oxygen and m o i s t u r e . When w a t e r comes i n c o n t a c t w i t h t h e p y r i t e oxida-
t i o n p r o d u c t s ( i r o n s u l p h a t a s a l t s ) , t h e r e s u l t i n g r u a c k f w a t e r o r sub-
s u r f a c e l e a c h a t e s u s u a l l y have a very low pH 61.8-3.5) and v e r y h i g h
c o n c e n t r a t i o n s of a c i d i t y , s u l p h a t e , and d i s s o l v e d m e t a l s ( a l k a l i , a l k a -
l i n e e a r t h , t r a n s i t i o n , arid h e a v y ) . Drainage from coal-waste d i s p o s a l
s i t e s h a s caused innumerable c a s e s of s e r i o u s w a t e r q u a l i t y d e g r a d a t i o n
i n s t r e a m s [ 5 , 6 ] . Trace m e t a l s i n t h e r u n o f f w a t e r a r e o f t e n a t concen-
t r a t i o n s many o r d e r s o f magnitude g r e a t e r t h a n l i m i t s recommended f o r
a q u a t i c b i o t a o r allowed f o r d r i n k i n g w a t e r . E r o s i o n caused by t h e run-
o f f o f s u r f a c e water g r a d u a l l y removes weathered m a t e r i a l from t h e s u r -
f a c e of waste p i l e s , t h u s exposing f r e s h p y r i t e and e n a b l i n g c o n t i n u a l
long-term o x i d a t i o n , a c i d product i o n , and l e a c h i n g problems t o p e r s i s t .

I n 1976, t h i s s t u d y o f I l l i n o i s coal-waste d i s p o s a l s i t e s was i n i t i a t e d

t o ( 1 ) g a i n more i n f o r m a t i o n on t h e n a t u r e and magnitude o f h y d r o l o g i c
and w a t e r - q u a l i t y problems a s s o c i a t e d w i t h o l d abandoned d i s p o s a l s i t e s
and ( 2 ) d e t e r m i n e t o what e x t e n t t h e problems c o u l d be m i t i g a t e d by
g r a d i n g and c o v e r i n g t h e c o a l w a s t e s w i t h a s o i l and v e g e t a t i v e c o v e r .
Based on i n f o r m a t i o n c o l l e c t e d from unreclaimed and r e c l a i m e d d i s p o s a l
s i t e s , a n a t t e m p t was made t o d i s c e r n how g r a d i n g , c o v e r i n g w i t h s o i l ,
and v e g e t a t i n g coal-waste d i s p o s a l a r e a s a f f e c t e d ( I ) r a t i o s of s u r f a c e
r u n o f f t o r a i n f a l l , ( 2 ) peak r u n o f f r a t e s , and ( 3 ) w a t e r q u a l i t y of
surface runoff.

The term " r e c l a m a t i o n " i n t h i s p a p e r i s used b r o a d l y t o mean t h e grad-

i n g , l i m i n g , c o v e r i n g w i t h s o i l , f e r t i l i z i n g , and s e e d i n g o f a c o a l -
refuse disposal s i t e . I d e a l l y , though, r e c l a m a t i o n s h o u l d a l s o mean
recuperation of a s i t e over a long time period -- with vegetation
r e e s t a b l i s h e d and s e l f - s u s t a i n i n g , w i t h e r o s i o n c o n t r o l l e d t o a n a c c e p t -
a b l e l e v e l , and w i t h w a t e r q u a l i t y n e a r t h e ambient l e v e l s of a d j a c e n t

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undisturbed areas. Whether t h e c u r r e n t methods of r e s t o r a t i o n c a n

r e s u l t i n wholly s u c c e s s f u l r e c l a m a t i o n o f a s i t e i s a t o p i c o f i n t e r e s t
and g r e a t d e b a t e . C e r t a i n l y , i n c a s e s of d i s p o s a l a r e a s t h a t have s t e e p
s l o p e s and c o n t a i n p y r i t e , t o t a l r e c l a m a t i o n of t h e s i t e may be an
i n d e f i n i t e l y long process.

The main a r e a of study was l o c a t e d i n t h e upper Cahokia Creek watershed

i n southwestern I l l i n o i s . R a i n f a l l , r u n o f f , and water-quality d a t a were
c o l l e c t e d from t h e unreclaimed S u p e r i o r washery s i t e and t h e reclaimed
S t a u n t o n s i t e [ 7 , 8 ] . I n a d d i t i o n , numerous grab samples from t h e Staun-
t o n s i t e i n 1976, p r i o r t o r e c l a m a t i o n , and from o t h e r d i s p o s a l a r e a s i n
t h e Cahokia Creek watershed were c o l l e c t e d and analyzed f o r t h i s s t u d y .

Data from e a r l i e r i n v e s t i g a t i o n s [5,6,9-121 have been included i n t h e

p r e s e n t i n v e s t i g a t i o n t o broaden i t s geographic coverage of water
q u a l i t y and provide a d d i t i o n a l hydrologic d a t a f o r comparative pur-
poses. These d a t a were c o l l e c t e d from t h e New Kathleen d i s p o s a l s i t e ,
b e f o r e and a f t e r t h e s i t e ' s reclamation, by C o n s o l i d a t i o n Coal Co. [ 9 ,
101 and Ohio S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y 1111. Water-quality d a t a of d i s p o s a l s i t e
r u n o f f have a l s o been c o l l e c t e d i n t h e p a s t by t h e I l l i n o i s Environ-
mental P r o t e c t i o n Agency i n southwestern I l l i n o i s [12] and throughout
t h e s t a t e by r e s e a r c h e r s from Southern I l l i n o i s U n i v e r s i t y 161. These
d a t a w i l l be d i s c u s s e d and e v a l u a t e d i n t h i s paper, along w i t h d a t a
c o l l e c t e d d u r i n g our own i n v e s t i g a t i o n .

DESCRIPTION OF DISPOSAL SITES

The t h r e e primary s i t e s i n southwestern I l l i n o i s where d a t a were col-

l e c t e d a r e known a s New Kathleen, Staunton and Superior. A former mine
a t t h e New Kathleen s i t e was a n underground o p e r a t i o n , running from 1943
t o 1955. Coal was mined from t h e H e r r i n No. 6 seam 34 m deep. The
o r i g i n a l waste p i l e covered an a r e a of 16.2 h a , stood 19.8 m a t i t s
h i g h e s t p o i n t , and contained about 1 . 5 x 106 m3 of r e f u s e ( F i g . 1-a) .
Slopes of t h e p i l e edge ranged between 34' and 45' and were deeply
g u l l i e d i n most p l a c e s . S u r f a c e d r a i n a g e from t h e p i l e was g e n e r a l l y
west toward a l o c a l c r e e k , which i s d r y d u r i n g much of t h e summer. An
a d d i t i o n a l 20.2 ha were occupied by a s l u r r y d i s p o s a l a r e a .

I n t h e summer of 1970, New K a t h l e e n ' s waste p i l e was p a r t i a l l y r e l o c a t e d

and graded s o t h a t a l l s l o p e s were 18" o r l e s s , a g r i c u l t u r a l limestone
was added t o t h e s u r f a c e a t a r a t e of 34 t i h a , and t h e r e f u s e was then
covered w i t h 30 cm of n a t u r a l s o i l m a t e r i a l ( ~ i g . 1-b). I n drainage
a r e a s 2 and 3 , a d d i t i o n a l s o i l cover was added -- a t o t a l cover of
60 and 90 cm, r e s p e c t i v e l y . F e r t i l i z e r , s e e d , a d d i t i o n a l limestone
(13 t / h a ) , and mulch were a p p l i e d t o t h e s i t e i n t h e f a l l of 1970 1101.

An abandoned mine l o c a t e d near Staunton, I l l . , was operated from 1904 t o

about 1924. H e r r i n No. 6 c o a l was mined underground, 85 m below t h e
s u r f a c e , and cleaned on s i t e . The steep-sided waste p i l e was 1.4 ha i n
a r e a , about 25 m t a l l a t i t s h i g h e s t p o i n t , deeply eroded, and b a r r e n of
v e g e t a t i o n . Beneath t h e oxidized s u r f a c e zone, t o t a 1 sulphur content of
t h e w a s t e m a t e r i a l ranged from 5.5 t o 8.5% (by w e i g h t ) , with p y r i t i c
s u l p h u r r a n g i n g from 4 t o 6%. S l u r r y m a t e r i a l , deposited i n a former
s e d i m e n t a t i o n pond l o c a t e d n o r t h o f t h e p i l e , occupied an a r e a of about
4.5 ha. I t , t o o , was deeply eroded and n e a r l y b a r r e n of v e g e t a t i o n .

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Fig. 1-a Drainage Areas and Flow Monitoring Points at

New Kathleen S i t e , Prior to I t s Reclamation

Fig. 1-b Drainage Areas and Flow Monitoring Points at

New Kathleen S i t e , Following I t s Reclamation

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I n e a r l y 1977, t h e s t a t e of I l l i n o i s provided funds t o grade t h e Staun-

t o n d i s p o s a l a r e a s , n e u t r a l i z e t h e s u r f a c e o f t h e r e f u s e w i t h 168 t / h a
(caC03 e q u i v a l e n t ) o f a g r i c u l t u r a l l i m e s t o n e and h y d r a t e d lime, and
cover t h e a r e a s with 30 cm of g l a c i a l till and l o e s s . The s o i l cover
was f e r t i l i z e d and seeded i n A p r i l 1977 (131. During r e g r a d i n g opera-
t i o n s , t h e w a s t e p i l e h e i g h t was reduced t o about 5 m, and s l o p e s were
reduced t o l e s s t h a n 12'. T o t a l a r e a o f t h e p i l e was i n c r e a s e d from
1 . 4 h a t o 3.5 ha ( F i g . 2). I n the northern area, the slurry material
was graded, limed, covered, and seeded. A r e t e n t i o n pond was excavated
i n g l a c i a l till next t o t h e s l u r r y m a t e r i a l f o r sediment c o n t r o l .
S u r f a c e r u n o f f from most o f t h e reclaimed waste p i l e and a l l s l u r r y
m a t e r i a l s flows i n t o t h e pond and t h e n d i s c h a r g e s i n t o a stream flowing
northwest t o Cahokia Creek ( F i g . 2 ) .

At a washery s i t e operated by S u p e r i o r Coal Co., l o c a t e d 15.4 km n o r t h

o f S t a u n t o n , c o a l was cleaned from f o u r nearby underground mines. When
t h e s e mining and washing o p e r a t i o n s ceased i n 1954, about 688,000 m3
of wastes had been produced, c o v e r i n g 23.5 ha. The two main p i l e s i n
t h e c e n t e r of t h e s i t e s t a n d 13.7 m high and c o v e r a n a r e a o f 1.5 h a a t
t h e i r base. The r e s t of t h e d i s p o s a l s i t e c o n t a i n s f l a t , graded wastes
o v e r l y i n g s l u r r y m a t e r i a l ( F i g . 3 ) . The s o u t h e r n two-thirds o f t h e s i t e
d r a i n s i n t o a channel f l o w i n g s o u t h e a s t toward S p r i n g Creek. The
n o r t h e r n p o r t i o n of t h e d i s p o s a l s i t e d r a i n s i n t o a channel flowing
n o r t h e a s t , a l s o i n t o Spring Creek ( F i g . 3 ) . The s i t e i s p r e s e n t l y
unreclaimed, devoid of v e g e t a t i o n , and d i s c h a r g i n g l a r g e q u a n t i t i e s of
sediment, a c i d i t y , s u l p h a t e , and d i s s o l v e d m e t a l s i n t o t h e watershed.

HYDROLOGY

R a i n f a l l and r u n o f f d a t a from t h e t h r e e d i s p o s a l s i t e s were analyzed

f o r t h e following time p e r i o d s : t h e reclaimed Staunton s i t e (July-Dec.
19771, t h e unreclaimed S u p e r i o r washery s i t e (19781, and t h e New Kath-
l e e n d i s p o s a l s i t e (pre-reclamation, 1970; post-reclamation, 1972).
H-type flumes and water-level r e c o r d e r s measured runoff from t h r e e
s u b - d r a i n a g e a r e a s on t h e p r e - r e c l a m a t i o n p i l e a t New K a t h l e e n
(Fig. 1-a) . The same type o f equipment was used on t h r e e sub-drainage,
a r e a s o f t h e p o s t - r e c l a m a t i o n p i l e ( F i g . 1-b) and a l s o a t a p o i d t
r e p r e s e n t i n g d i s c h a r g e from t h e e n t i r e p i l e (Area 4 ) . Precipitation
was recorded on s i t e d u r i n g b o t h phases.

Two 90 ' V-not ch we i r s and water- l e v e l r e c o r d e r s cont inuous 1y measured

d i s c h a r g e from both t h e s o u t h e r n and n o r t h e r n d r a i n a g e a r e a s a t t h e
Staunton s i t e ( F i g . 2 ) . The s o u t h e r n d r a i n a g e a r e a included t h e r e -
claimed w a s t e p i l e , small p o r t i o n s of a d j a c e n t farm f i e l d s , and road
ditches. Drainage through t h e n o r t h e r n weir included runoff from t h e
s o u t h e r n d r a i n a g e a r e a , t h e e n t i r e s l u r r y d i s p o s a l a r e a , and some addi-
t i o n a l farm l a n d s ( F i g . 2 ) . P r e c i p i t a t i o n was recorded on s i t e u s i n g
a t ipping-bucket r a i n gauge. An H-type flume w i t h water-level r e c o r d e r
and tipping-bucket gauge measured r u n o f f and r a i n f a l l a t t h e S u p e r i o r
s i t e (Fig. 3).

Hydrographs from Staunton and S u p e r i o r s i t e s were d i g i t i z e d , converted

t o flow r a t e s using t h e a p p r o p r i a t e weir o r flume e q u a t i o n , and i n t e -
g r a t e d u s i n g an IBM fourth-order Runge-Kutta v a r i a b l e s t e p r o u t i n e [14]
t o d e t e r m i n e t o t a l flow volumes f o r each storm. The runoff c o e f f i c i e n t ,
C, was c a l c u l a t e d f o r i n d i v i d u a l storm e v e n t s a t a l l t h r e e s i t e s by

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International Journal of Mine Water | © International Mine Water Association 2006 | www.IMWA.info

d i v i d i n g t o t a l storm r u n o f f volume by t o t a l storm r a i n f a l l . An a d j u s t e d

peak f l o w r a t e , M, was c a l c u l a t e d by d i v i d i n g each storm peak f l o w r a t e
(m3/s) by storm r a i n f a l l amount (cm) and d r a i n a g e a r e a (m2), i n o r d e r
t o f a c i l i t a t e comparison between s i t e s and t o e l i m i n a t e t h e v a r i a b l e o f
r a i n f a l l amount. Values f o r t h e s e parameters a r e shown i n T a b l e 1 .

The topography of t h e d r a i n a g e a r e a s appeared t o have some e f f e c t on t h e

r u n o f f c o e f f i c i e n t , C. When comparing t h e unreclaimed s i t e s , t h e aver-
age r u n o f f c o e f f i c i e n t f o r S u p e r i o r ' s s o u t h e r n d r a i n a g e a r e a (0.09) was
lower t h a n f o r Areas 1, 2 , and 6 a t t h e New Kathleen s i t e (0.17, 0.23,
and 0.45, r e s p e c t i v e l y ) . The w a s t e p i l e a t S u p e r i o r had s l o p e s up t o
4 5 " , b u t it occupied only 10% o f t h e s o u t h e r n d r a i n a g e a r e a ; t h e r e s t o f
t h e a r e a was r e l a t i v e l y f l a t . Areas 1 , 2 , and 6 a t New Kathleen, how-
e v e r , w e r e l o c a t e d e n t i r e l y o n t h e s t e e p - s l o p e d p i l e ( ~ i g .l - a ) .
T h e r e f o r e , t h e s t e e p s l o p e s a t t h e unreclaimed New Kathleen s i t e could
a c c o u n t f o r a h i g h e r r u n o f f r a t i o t h a n t h e one found a t Supe-rior.

Comparisons o f r u n o f f c o e f f i c i e n t s f o r t h e reclaimed s i t e s (Table 1)

show t h a t t h e average v a l u e s f o r New Kathleen sub-basins were g e n e r a l l y
g r e a t e r t h a n t h o s e f o r Staunton. The average v a l u e f o r Area 4 of New
Kathleen ( r e p r e s e n t i n g r u n o f f from t h e e n t i r e p i l e ) was 0.36; t h e aver-
age r u n o f f c o e f f i c i e n t f o r t h e Staunton reclaimed p i l e ( s o u t h e r n d r a i n -
age) was 0.31. For t h e reclaimed a r e a s , t h e s t e e p e r s l o p e s a t t h e New
Kathleen s i t e appeared t o account f o r g r e a t e r r u n o f f r a t i o s . I n addi-
t i o n , t h e w a s t e p i l e a t Staunton occupied o n l y about 20% of t h e s o u t h e r n
drainage area.

Comparison o f average r u n o f f c o e f f i c i e n t s between reclaimed and unre-

claimed s i t e s shows t h a t t h e reclaimed s i t e s g e n e r a l l y had h i g h e r r u n o f f
r a t i o s t h a n t h e unreclaimed s i t e s . The average r u n o f f c o e f f i c i e n t f o r
New K a t h l e e n ( c a l c u l a t e d on d a t a from a l l sub-basins) i n c r e a s e d from
0.28 f o r t h e pre-reclamation phase t o 0.40 f o r t h e post-reclamation
p h a s e , a n i n c r e a s e o f 4 3 % . Comparing t h e t o p o g r a p h i c a l l y s i m i l a r
S u p e r i o r and Staunton s i t e s , t h e S u p e r i o r (unreclaimed) c o e f f i c i e n t
was 0.09 and t h e Staunton post-reclamation c o e f f i c i e n t was 0.30. The
i n c r e a s e d r u n o f f c o e f f i c i e n t s observed a t t h e two reclaimed s i t e s a r e
due t o t h e placement of s o i l cover ( g l a c i a l t i l l and l o e s s ) , which i s
l e s s permeable t h a n t h e c o a l wqstes. These i n c r e a s e s occurred d e s p i t e
r e d u c t i o n i n s l o p e s and e s tablishment of v e g e t a t i o n , a c t ions t h a t should
have t h e e f f e c t of d e c r e a s i n g r u n o f f . The o v e r a l l i n c r e a s e i n s u r f a c e
w a t e r r u n o f f due t o r e c l a m a t i o n a c t i v i t i e s i s balanced by decreased
w a t e r seepage i n t o t h e b u r i e d c o a l w a s t e s .

Average a d j u s t e d peak flow r a t e s f o r one unreclaimed s i t e ( S u p e r i o r ) and

two reclaimed ones (New Kathleen, S t a u n t o n ) were c a l c u l a t e d (Table 1 )
and ranged from 9 x 1 0 ' ~ t o 4 x 10-7 m3/s per cm of r a i n p e r m2 of
drainage a r e a . Based on t h e l i m i t e d amount o f d a t a , no s i g n i f i c a n t
d i f f e r e n c e could be d e t e c t e d between t h e t h r e e s i t e s .

WATER QUALITY

Important g o a l s of any e f f o r t t o r e c l a i m coal-waste p i l e s a r e r e d u c t i o n s

i n t h e a c i d i t y , t o x i c m e t a l s , and t o t a l s o l u t e c o n c e n t r a t i o n s c o n t a i n e d
i n surface water runoff. When w a s t e m a t e r i a l s a r e e x p o s e d t o t h e
atmosphere, s u l p h i d e m i n e r a l s such a s p y r i t e and s p h a l e r i t e became
o x i d i z e d and form a c i d metal s u l p h a t e s a l t s . Water from r a i n f a l l and

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snowmelt can dissolve these oxidation products and transport them e i t h e r

through t h e waste material (emerging as seeps a t t h e base of t h e p i l e )
o r a s o v e r l a n d flow. F u r t h e r l e a c h i n g and d i s s o l u t i o n of a l k a l i ,
a l k a l i n e e a r t h , t r a n s i t i o n , and heavy metals from the shales and c l a y s
i n t h e coal wastes subsequently occurs. The r e s u l t i n g highly a c i d i c
water can contain p o t e n t i a l l y t o x i c concentrations of iron, manganese,
and t r a c e m e t a l s , and i t may t h e r e f o r e c a u s e s e v e r e e n v i r o n m e n t a l
degradation t o surrounding vegetation and streams.

The q u a l i t y of runoff water from unreclaimed disposal s i t e s has been ex-

t e n s i v e l y documented [5,6,8,12,15]. Table 2 summarizes d a t a reported
by Nawrot e t a l . [6] and Prodan e t a l . 181 f o r drainage from abandoned
d i s p o s a l s i t e s i n I l l i n o i s . I n both cases, drainage from these s i t e s i s
c h a r a c t e r i z e d by low pH, h i g h a c i d i t y , and moderate t o e x t r e m e l y
high concentrations of iron and sulphate. Where d a t a a r e a v a i l a b l e ,
concentrations of other metals such as manganese and aluminum a r e a l s o
high (up t o 145 and 3100 mg/L, r e s p e c t i v e l y ) . Although the quality,of
surface water runoff v a r i e s considerably from s i t e t o s i t e , t h e d a t a i n
Table 2 c l e a r l y i n d i c a t e t h e p o t e n t i a l adverse impact these runoff
waters can have on t h e l o c a l environment.

Reclamation e f f o r t s t o control a c i d i c runoff from the New Kathleen and

Staunton coal-refuse s i t e s have focused on t h r e e areas of a c t i v i t y .

1. Chemical treatment of the waste m a t e r i a l surf ace with n e u t r a l i z i n g

amendments .
2. Prevention or minimization of water contact with the waste m a t e r i a l
by decreasing i n f i l t r a t i o n (using a s o i l cover of r e l a t i v e l y low
permeability) and increasing t r a n s p i r a t ion during the summer by
e s t a b l i s h i n g vegetation.

3. Creation of an oxygen b a r r i e r a t the surface of t h e waste p i l e , by

e s t a b l i s h i n g a s o i l and vegetative cover --
the soil acts as a
physical b a r r i e r and root r e s p i r a t i o n consumes oxygen.

While t h e application of these reclamation p r i n c i p l e s has shown short-

term e f f e c t i v e n e s s i n controlling a c i d i c runoff from research p l o t s and
under laboratory conditions, very few d a t a a r e a v a i l a b l e t o demonstrate
long-term success under a c t u a l f i e l d conditions. Water-quality d a t a
from t h e two demonstrat ion s i t e s t h a t were reclaimed (New Kathleen,
Staunton) and the unreclaimed "control" s i t e (Superior) were evaluated
during t h i s investigation t o determine i f s i g n i f i c a n t long-term temaoral
t r e n d s had occurred as a r e s u l t of reclamation e f f o r t s .

Water-quality d a t a from t h e New Kathleen s i t e have been previously

published [9,10]. During a 15-month p e r i o d p r e c e d i n g r e c l a m a t i o n
a c t i v i t i e s , water q u a l i t y was sampled a t the discharge measuring points
d e s c r i b e d above. Samples were analyzed f o r pH, a c i d i t y , s p e c i f i c
conductance, t o t a l and ferrous iron, and sulphate. Following regrading
of t h e p i l e and application of an e a r t h cover i n 1970, sampling of
runoff water was conducted f o r a three-month period i n 1972 (no r e l i a b l e
d a t a were c o l l e c t e d i n 1971). During t h i s s h o r t a o s t - r e c l a m a t i o n
period, samples were only analyzed f o r a c i d i t y .

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During a six-month b a s e l i n e s t u d y i n 1976 a t t h e Staunton s i t e , g r a b

samples o f r u n o f f l e a v i n g t h e s i t e (North Weir, F i g . 2 ) were analyzed
f o r pH, a c i d i t y , s p e c i f i c conductance, s u l p h a t e , and an a r r a y of m e t a l s
and t r a c e e l e m e n t s i n c l u d i n g aluminum, i r o n , m a n g a n e s e , and z i n c .
Sampling was a l s o conducted d u r i n g r e c o n s t r u c t i o n a c t i v i t i e s a t t h e s i t e
i n e a r l y 1977, and t h e p r o c e s s continued f o r a 4 4 m o n t h period f o l l o w i n g
reclamation. With few e x c e p t i o n s , t h e same parameters a s l i s t e d above
f o r pre-reclamation were a l s o analyzed f o r each sample d u r i n g t h e post-
r e c l a m a t i o n phase.

F i n a l l y , i n conjunct ion with t h e groundwater-quality r e s e a r c h being con-

ducted a t t h e S c p e r i o r s i t e [ 1 5 ] , samples were o b t a i n e d of s u r f a c e w a t e r
r u n o f f a t two l o c a t i o n s ( s t a t i o n s SCS and SCN, F i g . 3 ) on t h e s i t e .
These samples, c o l l e c t e d over a 29-month period i n 1978-80, were ana-
lyzed f o r t h e same parameters a s t h e Staunton samples.

Because r e c o n t o u r i n g s f t h e waste p i l e a t t h e New Kathleen s i t e r e s u l t e d

i n v a s t l y d i f f e r e n t i n d i v i d u a l sub-basins monitored f o r flow volume and
water q u a l i t y , d i r e c t comparison of s p e c i f i c pre- and post-reclamation
gortione; of the p i l e could not be made. T h e r e f o r e , t h e two l a r g e s t
a r e a & monitored d u r i n g both p e r i o d s were chosen f o r comparison on the-
b a s i s of m o s t c l o s e l y r e p r e s e n t i n g o v e r a l l e f f l u e n t from t h e p i l e
( ~ l n wPoint E F i g * ? - a ; P l o w Point 4 , F i g . 1-b). I n addition, since
only a c t d i t y of water b a n p l e s was d e t e r m i n e d a f t e r r e c l a m a t i o n a t
t h e Xev Kathleen site, t h i s was t h e only parameter used f o r a n a l y s i s of
c o n d i t i o n s aL ~ a c hs i t e . Acidity l e v e l s generally r e f l e c t t h e degree
and r a t e af formation of s u l p h i d e mineral o x i d a t i o n p r o d u c t s , s o t h i s
was c o n s ~ d e r e d a v a l i d irndicator o f recl.amatisn success a t each s i t e .

F r g s , 4 - 8 , 4-b, and 4-6 show c o n c e n t r a t i o n s of a c i d i t y p l o t t e d a g a i n s t

tima f o r rile New Kathleen, S t a u n t o n , and S u p e r i o r waste d i s p o s a l s i t e s ,
respectively. I n F i g s . 4-a and 4-b, a c i d i t y l e v e l s appear t o show a
d r a m a t i c d e c l i n e i n samples c o l l e c t e d a f t e r r e c l a m a t i o n a c t i v i t i e s com-
pared t o t h o s e c o l l e c t e d b e f o r e . This d e c l i n e seems t o i n d i c a t e t h a t
p l a c i n g an e a r t h cover, adding n e u t r a l i z i n g amendments, and e s t a b l i s h i n g
a v e g e t a t i v e cover can cause a t P e a s t a short-term r e d u c t i o n i n s o l u t i o n
and t r a n s p o r t of o x i d a t i o n products i n s u r f a c e water r u n o f f . Further
evidence o f t h i s i s shown i n Table 2 , which summarizes water q u a l i t y
a t t h e S t a u n t o n s i t e b e f o r e and a f t e r r e c l a m a t i o n . For each parameter
l i s t e d , s i g n i f i c a n t d e c l i n e s i n average c o n c e n t r a t i o n have occurred
f o l l o w i n g r e c l a m a t i o n . A s expected, no such d e c l i n e s i n c o n c e n t r a t i o n s
of a c i d i t y ( F i g . 4-c) o r o t h e r parameters were seen a t t h e S u p e r i o r
s i t e , where no r e c l a m a t i o n a c t i v i t i e s took p l a c e . A c o r r e l a t i o n of
a c i d i t y c o n c e n t r a t i o n s w i t h flow r a t e s , y i e l d i n g t o t a l a c i d l o a d s from
t h e s i t e s r a t h e r t h a n a b s o l u t e c o n c e n t r a t i o n s , would more a c c u r a t e l y
c h a r a c t e r i z e o x i d a t i o n and mass l e a c h i n g r a t e s of t h e p i l e s b e f o r e and
a f t e r r e c l a m a t i o n . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , we l a c k t h e d a t a n e c e s s a r y t o perform
t h i s more d e t a i l e d a n a l y s i s .

Although t h e r e s u l t s of t h i s simple a n a l y s i s of t h e e f f e c t s of reclama-

t i o n on w a t e r q u a l i t y a r e e n c o u r a g i n g , s e v e r a l f a c t o r s p r e c l u d e a
p o s i t i v e s t a t e m e n t of long-term t r e n d s . F i r s t , post-reclamation d a t a
from t h e New Kathleen s i t e a r e extremely l i m i t e d ( F i g . 4-a) both i n
q u a n t i t y o f samples obtained and i n v a r i e t y of c o n s t i t u e n t s analyzed.
Second, a l t h o u g h a s i g n i f i c a n t r e d u c t i o n i n c o n c e n t r a t i o n s of a c i d i t y
h a v e o c c u r r e d a t b o t h t h e New K a t h l e e n and S t a u n t o n s i t e s , t h e s e

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A. NEW KATHLEEN
O0O1
loo

* 10 000:
t
8
a rooo-,
t-C

RECLAMATION
ACTIVITY

10 000
B. STAUNTON

000
loo C. SUPERIOR COAL

Fig. 4 Acidity, aa CaC03 (mg/L), Va. Time at Three Illinois Sites

12

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post-reclamation concentrations s t i l l remain high r e l a t i v e t o those i n

runoff from undisturbed land ( u s u a l l y a l k a l i n e ) . The d a t a f o r Staunton
(Fig. 4-b) a r e e s p e c i a l l y d i s t u r b i n g because it appears t h a t runoff
q u a l i t y has d e t e r i o r a t e d s u b s t a n t i a l l y during 1979-80. The deteriora-
t i o n i s d u e , i n p a r t , t o r e e x p o s u r e of w a s t e m a t e r i a l s i n e r o s i o n
g u l l i e s and t h e road d i t c h on t h e northern s i d e of the recontoured
pile.

CONCLUSIONS

Abandoned, unreclaimed c o a l - w a s t e d i s p o s a l s i t e s i n s o u t h w e s t e r n
I l l i n o i s a r e usually devoid of vegetation and deeply eroded. They a r e
a l s o major contributors of sediment, a c i d i t y , sulphate, and dissolved
metals t o nearby streams. The success of current reclamation techniques
used t o control hydrologic and water-quality problems was evaluated
using d a t a from t h r e e disposal s i t e s . The following conclusions have
been drawn. (1) Covering coal r e f u s e with s i l t y c l a y g l a c i a l till and
l o e s s increased runoff r a t e s . ( 2 ) The adjusted peak runoff r a t e s ,
however, d i d not appear t o be affected. (3) Water q u a l i t y during one t o
two years following reclamation was g r e a t l y improved, with a c i d i t y
l e v e l s reduced by about 90%. (4) Runoff water appears t o be returning
t o h i g h l y a c i d i c conditions a f t e r two t o t h r e e years.

The d e c l i n e i n water q u a l i t y s h o r t l y a f t e r reclamation i s probably

a t t r i b u t a b l e t o t h r e e causes. (1) The n e u t r a l i z a t i o n p o t e n t i a l of
lime and limestone applied t o the surface of t h e coal wastes has been
reduced. ( 2 ) E r o s i o n g u l l e y s have reexposed s m a l l a r e a s of w a s t e
materials. (3) Iron sulphate s a l t s were common throughout the p i l e s
p r i o r t o reclamation and continue t o produce a c i d i t y , sulphate, and i r o n
i n leachates from the p i l e s long a f t e r reclamation. Only long-term
monitoring of these waste p i l e s w i l l determine whether p y r i t e oxidation
and a c i d leachate production have been successfully reduced -- and t r u e
"reclamation" a c t u a l l y achieved.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Data from t h e New Kathleen disposal s i t e were previously collected and

reported by Consolidated Coal Co. (9,101 and Ohio S t a t e University [ l l ] .
The current study was funded by t h e following agencies: U.S. Department
of Energy, t h e I11i n o i s Abandoned Mined Lands Reclamation Council, and
t h e I l l i n o i s I n s t i t u t e of Natural Resources .
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