Name: Mine blowout sends millions of gallons of acidic drainage into Cheat River
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Mine blowout sends millions of gallons of acidic drainage into Cheat River

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You have permission to edit this article.The confluence of Muddy Creek and the Cheat River is shown after the March 4 overflow at the old T&amp;T Mine.Acid mine drainage in Muddy Creek rushes toward the Cheat River on Friday afternoon.The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection says water emanating from the former T&amp;T mine north of Albright is 10 times more acidic than normal.A mine blowout north of Albright was sending 3,500 gallons of acidic drainage into Muddy Creek and to the Cheat River as of Friday afternoon.A huge swell of mine drainage overwhelmed the T&amp;T Treatment Facility north of Albright, rupturing a pipeline.The confluence of Muddy Creek and the Cheat River is shown after the March 4 overflow at the old T&amp;T Mine.Acid mine drainage in Muddy Creek rushes toward the Cheat River on Friday afternoon.The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection says water emanating from the former T&amp;T mine north of Albright is 10 times more acidic than normal.A mine blowout north of Albright was sending 3,500 gallons of acidic drainage into Muddy Creek and to the Cheat River as of Friday afternoon.A huge swell of mine drainage overwhelmed the T&amp;T Treatment Facility north of Albright, rupturing a pipeline.ALBRIGHT — A mine blowout north of Albright is releasing acidic water into the Cheat River at a rate of about 5 million gallons per day.The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is currently investigating a blowout from the former T&amp;T Mine complex that is discharging into the confluence of Muddy Creek and the Cheat River.Muddy Creek enters the river at the Friends of the Cheat campground site. The creek follows W.Va. 26 south from the Woolen Mill Road intersection.Large amounts of highly acidic water, 10 times that of normal concentrations, and sediment is discharging from the former mine and has caused acid levels in Muddy Creek and the Cheat River to spike.The flow peaked at 6,200 gallons per minute Thursday afternoon, but has since dropped to 3,500 gallons per minute — about 210,000 gallons per hour, or 5.04 million gallons per day.Friends of the Cheat reported in a press release that they noticed the disturbing hue of the water Thursday and found the pH reading to be 3.65. The pH has dropped in the canyon at “Decision Rapid” to 5.8, and has stained the river extensively.On Sunday, the pH of the creek returned to 7, Friends of the Cheat reported. Anything 7 and above is a normal pH.“We happened to be out and saw the difference in Muddy Creek,” Restoration Program Manager Madison Ball said. “The DEP was aware something was going on prior to us talking to them, and they were working to control it.”The creek, which has been sending clear, treated water into the river for almost three years, was filled with a rapid-moving, muddy-yellow liquid when observed near the confluence Friday afternoon.Thursday’s event overwhelmed the DEP’s acid mine drainage treatment system, known as the T&amp;T Treatment Facility, causing a pipeline entering a manhole to rupture. An estimated 300-500 gallons per minute was not being diverted into the treatment facility.Staff from the WVDEP’s Office of Special Reclamation are on site to investigate and implement a repair plan.“The flow has to decrease to where we can shut off the valves that regulate the water out of the T&amp;T mine,” said the WVDEP’s Acting Communications Director Terry Fletcher. “This would cause water to build up in the mine and allow our staff time to make repairs at the manhole and better assess the situation.”Friends of the Cheat is concerned with how often these events could occur, with precipitation projected to be more frequent and intense over the next decade.Similar events have happened on three occasions since the initial blowouts at the T&amp;T mine in 1994 and 1995, which overwhelmed previous AMD treatment systems.These events prompted the WVDEP to install the treatment facility, which became operational in 2018 and treats up to 6 million gallons of AMD per day.“For the fish documented in Muddy Creek and the Canyon, this is an ecological setback.” Ball said.“This is ever more proof that our work is not done, and the risk to these Abandoned Mine Lands pose to healthy ecosystems.”The WVDEP has yet to determine the cause of Thursday’s event, or prior events. There is speculation that periodic roof collapses within the T&amp;T mine is displacing large volumes of highly acidic water at one time, but the agency has not been able to confirm this theory.Additionally, significant amounts of rainfall in recent days likely increased the volume of water in the mine and contributed to the current situation.Friends of the Cheat said they will continue to push for restored water quality and innovation, and will not accept this as the status quo for Muddy Creek.×××"The creek follows W.Va. 26 south from the Woolen Mill Road intersection." The road follows the creek. The creek was there first and made the valley. The creek follows gravity. (I am sick of all this mine runoff pollution in the Cheat and the Middle Fork. The mine owners should have to pay.)Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming anotherperson will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. 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You have permission to edit this article.The confluence of Muddy Creek and the Cheat River is shown after the March 4 overflow at the old T&amp;T Mine.Acid mine drainage in Muddy Creek rushes toward the Cheat River on Friday afternoon.The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection says water emanating from the former T&amp;T mine north of Albright is 10 times more acidic than normal.A mine blowout north of Albright was sending 3,500 gallons of acidic drainage into Muddy Creek and to the Cheat River as of Friday afternoon.A huge swell of mine drainage overwhelmed the T&amp;T...

Mine blowout sends millions of gallons of acidic drainage into Cheat River

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