2017 Symposium Papers

2017 West Virginia Mine Drainage Task Force Symposium Papers

Waterfront Place Hotel, Morgantown, West Virginia
April 9 – 13, 2017

Monday, April 10, 2017

Monday Morning Plenary Sessions

History of the WV Mine Drainage Task Force
Jeff Skousen, Member of Task Force

The American Society for Mining and Reclamation
Pete Stahl, President of ASMR

Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative
James Burger, Science Team Member of ARRI

Policy and Law

Legislative Update on Mining, Reclamation and Water Quality in West Virginia
Jason Bostic, Vice-President, West Virginia Coal Association

Future Reclamation Needs in a Changing Coal Sector
Paul Ziemkiewicz, Director, West Virginia Water Research Inst., West Virginia University

Reclamation Technology

Why Aren’t All Reclamationists Considered Ecological Engineers?
Robert Nairn, University of Oklahoma

Overview and Update on Passive Treatment Systems
Art Rose, Penn State University

Social & Economic Factors

Governing Unconventional Legacies: Lessons from the Coalbed Methane Boom in Wyoming
Kathryn Bills Walsh (student), Montana State University, Dr. Julia H. Haggerty, Montana State University

Bond release verification requirements for successful reclamation at Wyoming surface coal mines
Dr. Anna Krzyszowska Waitkus

Assessing the benefits of at-source vs. in-stream AMD treatment: Implications for managing water liabilities under the WVDEP’s Bond Forfeiture Program
Michael Sheehan, WV Department of Environmental Protection/Office of Special Reclamation
Paul Ziemkiewicz, Water Research Institute, West Virginia University

In-stream AMD treatment for Large Watershed Restoration
Michael Sheehan, WV Department of Environmental Protection/Office of Special Reclamation
Paul Ziemkiewicz, Melissa O’Neal, Water Research Institute, West Virginia University

Water Treatment: Planning for Forever, New Options
Dan Eyde, St. Cloud Mining Company, David Baker, Consulting Associate

Local Government Entities in Improving AMD Impaired Waters
Donna Wagner, Watershed Support Section, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

ARRI, Forestry & Ecology 1

Upland forest development in a reconstructed watershed after oil sands mining in northern Alberta, Canada
Brad Pinno, Fran Leishman, Ruth Errington, Morgane Merlin, Simon Landhäusser, Canadian Forest Service

Reclamation Experiments on the Allegheny Front: The Push for Bio-Energy, Habitat, and Timber.
Bart Caterino (student)

Surface and Subsurface Tillage Effects on Soil Properties and Tree Growth at East Texas Lignite Surface Mine
Hannah Angel (student), H. Williams, J. Stovall, K. Farrish, L. Young, Stephen F. Austin State University

Survival and Growth of Woody Plants on Four Reclaimed Mine Sites
Alexis Monteleone (student), Dr. Jeff Skousen, Rick Williams, Jonathan Pomp, Michael French, Dr. Jamie Schuler, Dr. Louis McDonald, Ida Holaskova, West Virginia University

The Effects of Castor Canadensis (North American Beaver) Repopulation on a Mine Drainage Impacted Stream
Nicholas Shepherd (student), University of Oklahoma

Effect of Grading on Productivity of High-Value Tree Species in Appalachian Surface Mines
Wesley Dement (student)

Flight 93 National Memorial Reforestation Project
M. C. Tyree and J. Larkin, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology; S. Eggerud and P. Angel, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement; M. French, The American Chestnut Foundation; C. Barton, Department of Forestry, UK

Active Treatment

A Case Study Evaluating Effluent Quality Following Chemical and Electrochemical Precipitation for Metals Removal from Acid Mine Drainage Water
Bruce Lesikar, Director -Engineering

A Geochemical Kinetics Module for AMDTreat to Estimate the Effects of Aeration on Rates of Decarbonation and Iron Oxidation
Charles A. Cravotta III, U.S. Geological Survey In collaboration with Brent P. Means, U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

The Maelstrom Oxidizer – Astonishing Aeration System
Jeff Hayden, President, Somerset Environmental Solutions, Inc.

High Sulfate Mining Wastewater Treatment by Two-Stage Chemical Precipitation Process.
K. Banerjee

Practical Outfall Mine Water Treatment Applications – Challenges and Solutions
B. Riley, D. Bess, J. Ceslovnik, NALCO Water

Reclamation Technologies

Woods-run Chips as a Filter Sock Matrix
Shawn T. Grushecky, Energy Land Management, West Virginia University; Louis McDonald, Jr., Professor of Soil Science, West Virginia University

A Pathway to Walk-Away? – 30 Year Old Technology to Suppress Acid Rock Drainage Revisited
Jim Gusek, P.E., Sovereign Consulting Inc., Lakewood, Colorado

New Soil Reconstruction Method for Reclaiming Subsided Land with Yellow River Sediments
Zhenqi Hu, Fang Shao, Institute of Land Reclamation & Ecological Restoration, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Engineering Research Center of Mining Environment & Ecological Safety, Ministry of Education

Utilization of Extractable Soil Test Sulfate as an Indicator for Acid Producing Pyritic Sulfur
David J. Lang and K. Keith Crouse, Mississippi State University

Effects of Alternative Liming Strategies on Leachate Quality and Soil Morphology of Acid Forming Dredge Materials
W. Lee Daniels, Sara Klopf, Abbey Wick, and Zenah Orndorff

Pollution Loading Tracking to Characterize Success of an Anoxic Limestone Drain Installation on Lambert’s Run, Southwestern Pennsylvania
Hannah E. Patton, L.G. Mignogna, K.J. Tomkowski, J.S. Vinglish, K.J. Palmer, M.C. Whited, M. Crittenden, G. Shustrick, W.H.J. Strosnider

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Imaging & Modeling 1

Geocoding locations of historic reclamation research sites using Google Earth
Ruopu Li, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Environmental Resources, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Georeferencing of American Society of Mining and Reclamation Proceedings: A New Tool and Patterns in Reclamation Research
Ashley Rovder (student), Zach Shoff, David Madl, Staci Wolfe, Stefan Long, William Strosnider, Peter Smyntek

Detecting the Presence of Coal Mining Impacts by Predicting Acid Mine Drainage Impacted Streams Using Aerial Imagery
Scott Miller, Steve Porter, Jennifer Bowman Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs Woolpert, US Air Force Research Laboratory, Ohio University

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Survey for Year-End Mining Reclamation Estimation
Mark Maguire, GISP Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.

Passive Treatment – Metals

Zinc and Nickel Sorption and Desorption Using a Mixed Algae Community Collected from a Mine Drainage Passive Treatment System
Ellen Fielding (student) and Robert W. Nairn

Evolution of Trace Metal Removal Products in Field-scale Vertical Flow Bioreactors
Julie LaBar, Saint Francis University; Robert Nairn, University of Oklahoma

Metal Reclamation Units (MRUs Wetlands in a Box) for AMD and Nutrient Cycling
C. Lennox

Advancements in Iron Terrace Design for Metal Mine Sites
Jim Gusek, P.E.; Lee Josselyn and Eric Wolaver, Sovereign Consulting Inc., Lakewood, CO

Student Presentations

A Feasibility Study for the Automated Monitoring and Control of Mine Water Discharges
Chris Vass (student), Aaron Noble, PhD, Mining Engineering, West Virginia University

Understanding Storm Response of AMD Impacted Streams
Zebulon Martin (student) Ohio University

Passive Treatment AMD Control 1

Geochemical Controls on Limestone Utilization in Abandoned MineLand Reclamation
Poonam Giri (student), Tracy Branam, Dr. Greg Olyphant

Effective Modification to the Design and Application of Constructed Wetlands and Limestone Beds
Brent Means, Office of Surface Mining; Malcolm Crittenden, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Reclamation in Arid Regions

Objectives and Design Solutions of a 1000-year Evapotranspiration-Capillary Surface Barrier System
Z. Fred Zhang, Dawn M. Wellman, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Revegetation success at several Montana sites using soil amendments
S. R. Jennings

Restoration Techniques to Increase Survival and Vigor of Wyoming Big Sagebrush Seedlings
Amy Jacobs (student)

Soil changes during stockpiling and after reclamation at three Wyoming natural gas production areas
Jay Norton and Calvin Strom, University of Wyoming

Reclamation for AMD Control & Beneficial Uses

Sludge Impact on the Stabilization of the Fire Road Mine in New Brunswick
M. Coleman, NB Power; K. D. Phinney, Consulting Chemist/Chemical Engineer

Reclamation of Refuse Piles using Fluidized Bed Combustion Ash in the Blacklick Creek Watershed, Pennsylvania
Gregory Aaron, Rock Martin, and Gregory Greenfield, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Transforming Abandoned Mine Lands into a Botanic Garden
George R. Watzlaf, Hedin Environmental, Pittsburgh, PA

Reclamation for AMD Control & Beneficial Uses

Metals got you Down? A Look at Effective Mining-Influenced Water Treatment
Pamela J. Dugan, Ph.D., P.G., Carus Corporation

Preventing Acid Rock Drainage. Can Source Control Really Be Successful?
Paul Eger, Sovereign Consulting, Lakewood, Colorado

What Happens to a Mine after Mining? Making Mine Land Reclamation More of a Community Asset
Michael C. Korb, P.E., Tetra Tech, Inc.

Reclamation for AMD Control & Beneficial Uses

Production of an iron oxide product from mine water: 15 year report
Robert S. Hedin, Ted Weaver, Hedin Environmental, Pittsburgh, PA

Yields and Ethanol Production Potential of Switchgrass and Miscanthus on Reclaimed Mine Lands
Steffany Scagline

Native vegetation in reclamation: improving habitat and ecosystem function through using prairie species in mine land reclamation
Rebecca Swab, Director of Restoration Ecology, The Wilds, Cumberland, OH; Nicola Lorenz and Richard Dick, The Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources; Shana Byrd, The Dawes Arboretum, Newark, OH

ARRI, Forestry & Ecology 2

Some thoughts on planting native tree species in mine land reforestation
Mary Beth Adams, USDA Forest Service

Regeneration dynamics of seedling origin aspen: Working towards resiliency in forest restoration
Carolyn King (student) & Simon Landhäusser, Renewable Resources, University of Alberta

Tree seedling survival after planting under varying treatments on reclaimed mine land
Patrick J. Boleman, Restoration Ecology Associate; Dr. Rebecca M. Swab, Director of Restoration Ecology

Growth Rates of Hardwood Trees Nine Years after Reclamation in Response to Substrates and Amendments
K. Dallaire, L. Wilson-Kokes, P. Emerson, C. DeLong, C. Thomas, J. Skousen, Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Virginia University

ARRI, Forestry & Ecology 3

Establishment of Hybrid Poplar on a Reclaimed Mine Site in Southern West Virginia
A. Hass and R.S. Zalesny Jr., West Virginia State University, Agricultural & Environmental Research Station; Institute, WV; D. Patel, U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Rhinelander, WI; J. Vandevender, U.S. USDA NRCS Plant Material Center, Alderson, WV

Ecological Restoration on the Mower Tract within the Monongahela National Forest, WV
Chris Barton, Shane Jones, Todd Kuntz, Anna Branduzzi, Jack Tribble, Scott Eggerud, Michael French and Patrick Angel

ARRI, Forestry & Ecology II

Conservation of Northern Long-eared Bat Habitat at an Aggregate Mine in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Craig Rockey, Project Manager, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.

Natural Processes for the Restoration of Large Mines
David F. Polster, M.Sc., R.P.Bio., CERP Polster Environmental Services Ltd.

Cost-effective Strategies for the restoration of large disturbances
David F. Polster, M.Sc., R.P.Bio., CERP Polster Environmental Services Ltd.

Passive Treatment – Hydrology

Challenges of Designing and Building a Passive Treatment System with Limited Topography, Hydraulic Head, and Available Land Area
R. Nairn, T. Danehy, C. Neely, R. Dutnell, B. Page, N. Shepherd, D. Cates, B. Stanila

Seasonal Storm-Induced metal transport dynamics Between Oxidative passive Treatment cells
Dr. Leah Oxenford, CEES – CREW (2016), University of Oklahoma

Quantifying Hydraulic Conductivity in Mine Drainage Passive Treatment System Vertical Flow Bioreactors
Bryan J. Page (student), Robert W. Nairn

Iron Transport and Removal Dynamics in the Oxidative Unit of a Passive Treatment System: A Five-Year Performance Evaluation
Dr. Leah Oxenford

Passive Treatment – Sulfate

A Field Demonstration of an alternative coal waste disposal technology – Geochemical findings
Paul T. Behum, Office of Surface Mining, Mid-Continent Region, Alton, IL,
Liliana Lefticariu, Department of Geology, Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale, IL
Y. Paul Chugh, Department of Mining and Mineral Engineering, Southern Illinois University

Sulfate Removal in Biochemical Reactors and Scrubbers Treating Neutral Low-Metal Concentration Mine Influenced Water (MIW)
G. Fattore, J. Gusek, L. Josselyn, Sovereign Consulting Inc., T. Clark, Solfatara Laboratories LLC, Lakewood, CO

Passive Treatment of Sulfate from Mine-Influenced Water
B. T. Thomas, Jim Bays, CH2M

Three Year Performance Evaluation of a Sulfate Reducing Bioreactor for Mine Water Treatment in PA: Sulfate Removal, Sulfide Control, and TDS Reduction
William J. Walker, PhD, W2GeoChem LLC

Imaging & Modeling 2

Applying land forming to reclamation: A case study in Central Appalachia
Leslie Hopkinson, John Quaranta, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, West Virginia University

Subsidence wetland formation and transition in the high ground water table coal mining areas
Yanhu H. Fu (student), Zhenqi Hu, X. M. Dong, Q. Y. Wang, W. Xiao, Institute of Land Reclamation and Ecological Restoration, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing

3D Modeling of the Sand Coulee Basin Abandoned Mine Lands (.mp4 file)
Kristin M. Brown, PG, Hydrologist, Office of Surface Mining, Denver, Colorado

Imaging & Modeling I

Exploration of a Multi-Sensor Approach for the Detection and Mapping of Coal Mine Fires in the United States
Alex Sivitskis, AmeriCorps Member – GIS and Remote Sensing, Denver, CO

Communicating Maintenance of Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Projects in Ohio
Sarah D.L. Cornwell, Environmental Specialist, Ohio University, Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, Athens, Ohio

Coupling Technical Assistance with Student Service Learning in Mine Water Reclamation
Kelsea J. Green, Morgan C. Whited, and William H. J. Strosnider

Development of International Standards for Mine Reclamation
W. Lee Daniels, Virginia Tech Crop & Soil Environmental Sciences; Steven Michael Carpenter, Univ. of Wyoming Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute

Carbon Dioxide: A Global Problem in Search of a Rational Global Solution
Kimery C. Vories, E-Ternion: Energy, Environment, & Economy

Development of a low-cost remote water quality monitoring system in acid mine drainage impaired watersheds
Dr. Natalie Kruse, Dr. Hans Kruse, Dr. Julio Arauz, Dr. Shawn Ostermann, Godfrey Ogallo, Siti Hj Abd Rahman, Sebastian Teas, Ohio University

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Surface Water – Hydrology

Hydrological and Geophysical Methods to Investigate Streamflow Losses and Restoration Strategies in Abandoned Mine Lands of Schuylkill River Watershed, Pennsylvania, USA, 2012-2015
Charles A. Cravotta III, Laura Sherrod, Daniel G. Galeone, Wayne G. Lehman, Terry E. Ackman, and Alexa Kramer

Mine Reclamation Applications of a New Water Budget Model: Wetbud
W. Lee Daniels, Dept. of Crop & Soil Environmental Sciences,Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University

Assessing How Hydrologic Isolation of Coal Mine Spoils Affects Streamflow Mechanisms and Water Chemistry Using Open Source Wireless Technology
Stephanie Fulton (student) and John Dowd University of Georgia

Seasonal recovery of an Appalachian stream affected by acid mine drainage and municipal wastewater
Morgan Whited, John Gaughan, Sawyer Rensel, Justin Hugo, William H. J. Strosnider, and Peter M. Smyntek

Surface Water – Aquatic Impacts

Relationship between aqueous and sediment chemistry and biological recovery across a gradient of acid mine drainage impairment
Dr. Natalie Kruse, Saruul Damdinbal, Ohio University

The Appalachian stream syndrome: complex local conditions and regional metacommunity degradation caused by the accumulation of multiple stressors
Eric R. Merriam and J. Todd Petty, West Virginia University

The Impacts of Acid Mine Drainage Remediation Projects on Water Quality, Aquatic Macroinvertebrate, and Fish Populations in the Deckers Creek Watershed, Monongalia and Preston Counties, West Virginia
Nicholas Revetta, Project Manager, Friends of Deckers Creek

Water quality and biotic condition in mining-influenced Appalachian headwater streams: an overview of a long-term study
S. H. Schoenholtz, E. A. Boehme, D. Drover, R. A. Pence, D. J. Soucek, A. J. Timpano, R. Vander Vorste, K. M. Whitmore, C. E. Zipper, Virginia Tech & Illinois Natural History Survey

Groundwater and Mine Pools

Groundwater Modeling Used to Design of a Tailings Impoundment Removal near Yellowstone National Park
Tom Henderson, Montana DEQ, Mike Boduin, PE Pioneer Technical Services

Seasonal Recharge and Groundwater Storage in a Below Drainage Mine Pool
Eric Perry, Tom Gray, Heather Trexler and Scott Poborsky
Senior Hydrogeologist/Geochemist, Group Manager, and Project Manager, Tetra Tech, Pittsburgh, PA; Geologic Specialist, Pennsylvania Dept. Environmental Protection, Ebensburg, PA

North Branch Potomac River Mine Pool Assessment Study
Nancy Pointon and Jack Felbinger

Groundwater tracing in mine pools above the Cabin Creek oilfield in Kanawha County, West Virginia
A. Schaer

Surface Water – Modeling & Prediction

Field Predictors for TDS Generation Potential from Appalachian Mine Spoils
Daniel Johnson, W. Lee Daniels and Carl Zipper, Dept. of Crop & Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University

Surface Water – Aquatic Impacts

Water Quality and Freshwater Mussel Status in Mining-Influenced Virginia-Tennessee Rivers
Carl E. Zipper

Selenium Dynamics in Mining-Influenced Headwater Streams of Central Appalachia
Keridwen Whitmore (student)

Passive AMD Control 2

Passive Treatment of Highly Contaminated Iron-Rich Acid Mine Drainage
C. M. Neculita, T. V. Rakotonimaro, B. Bussière, T. Genty, G. J. Zagury, Research Institute of Mines and Environment, UQAT-Polytechnique

The Complicated Role of CO2 in Mine Drainage Treatment
Benjamin C Hedin, Robert S Hedin, Hedin Environmental, University of Pittsburgh

Acidity Neutralization Cell (ANC) Pretreatment for BCR Influent
B. T. Thomas, Gary Hickman, Dennis Smith, CH2M