Abandoned Mining Lands in Southeastern Ohio

Environmental Issue

Mining began in Ohio in the early 1800s with little to no regulation. It was not until after 150 years of mining that the state passed any laws requiring reclamation of the land once operations had ceased, and it took another twenty years after that to pass laws that were comprehensive enough to address impacts on the surrounding environment. Unfortunately, much damage had already been done by this point. (Board on Unreclaimed Strip Mined Lands [BUSML], 1974)

Abandoned mining land (AML) in Ohio contributes to several ecological issues. In Ohio, many of the abandoned mines are coal mines that tend to be found near iron sulfides which, when combined with air and water, creates sulfuric acid. By 1972, this acid mine drainage (AMD) had contaminated 1,300 miles of Ohio streams, damaging the surrounding ecology, and sometimes killing off all life in areas where the pH of the water had been lowered too much. Heavy metals are also leached into the surrounding watershed, building up over time, coating the stream bed in “yellow boy”, and contaminating the food chain. (Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs [OU-VSLPA], 2019) Improperly sealed mines can leak explosive methane gasses that are toxic to wildlife, can start wildfires, and accelerate climate change. The disturbed land around mines leads to increased erosion and the subsequent sediment runoff into the watershed, which can build up, blocking the normal flow paths of water and drastically altering local ecosystems. (Ohio Department of Natural Resources [ODNR], n.d.)

AML in Ohio also creates various public health and safety issues. Improperly closed openings to underground mines can lead to people falling or wandering into these mines and being exposed to extremely hazardous conditions, including unstable tunnels, flooding, poisonous and explosive gasses, and venomous wildlife. The structures that support land above underground mines degrade over time, leading to collapse and damage of any structures built above. Highwalls left at abandoned strip mines are dangerous, unstable cliff-faces. Waste piles, strip mining pits, and underground water rerouted by mines can all be contributing factors to landslides. Sulfuric acid runoff contaminates fresh drinking water supplies, recreational lakes, and rivers and decimates fishing populations. This affects both quality of life and tourism in the area. The heavy metals in the water enter the food chain and can cause wide range of very serious health issues. Many of the abandoned mines lie in heavily populated parts of Ohio, amplifying these health effects. Additionally, millions of people live downstream from the Ohio River, as its water flows all the way to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River. So, these impacts can extend well beyond state borders. (ODNR, n.d.)

Local towns are often abandoned economically right along with the mines. Job loss and unhealthy conditions have led to a large portion of the younger generations moving away from the area, further depleting local economies. Sediment runoff into the watershed can build up, leading to flooding, property damage, and costly cleanup of culverts and other water routes. Corrosive AMD can physically damage any infrastructure it contacts like bridges, dams, and plumbing, requiring costly maintenance. Water treatment becomes more expensive with all the sediment and pollution, and sometimes citizens are even left to treat their own drinking water to further reduce sediment, iron, “hardness” (caused by high concentrations of calcium and magnesium), and other contaminants. At the same time, reclaiming the land can be very costly. (BUSML, 1974) Employing out-of-work miners to do the work of cleaning up could help to alleviate economic strains by providing jobs. There is also the untapped potential benefit of turning the mine land and compromised rivers and lakes into productive resources that generate income and/or tourism in the area rather than wasting these precious resources.

Unfortunately, when political decisions are left to capitalist interests alone, companies will often prioritize less expensive short-term business costs, ignoring the long-term environmental costs imposed upon society in their calculations. This is what happened for the first 170 or so years of mining in Ohio, and why the state found over 119,000 acres of un-reclaimed mine land in the 1970s when they surveyed the problem. (ODNR, n.d.) It often takes societal pressure, in reaction to perceived reductions in quality of life, for politicians to step in on behalf of an affected population. A proud generational legacy of coal mining in Ohio likely delayed societal reactions to the environmental impacts of mining. “Black gold” brought prosperity to the area, especially during the industrial revolution. It was not until the decline of economic benefits coupled with the increase of health costs began to affect enough people that society pushed the government to find a solution. Government structured funding has helped by distributing the costs of reclamation through taxes. (BUSML, 1974) Non-profits and academic institutions also have an important role to play. For example, Rural Action has assisted communities with applying for federal funding and developing plans to turn AML into an economic resource (Rural Action, n.d., AML) and Ohio University students have contributed to research in the field. (OU-VSLPA, 2019)

Sustainable Solution

The issues from AML in Ohio are plentiful and complex, calling for comprehensive solutions. It is not simply be a matter of physically re-shaping the land to approximate its original state, topsoil, vegetation, and all; though those are certainly important steps in the process which help reduce physical hazards and sediment runoff into the watershed. It is important to prioritize based on their health, environmental, and financial impacts. The biggest threat from abandoned mines, is the chemical threat to our watershed from AMD. (BUSML, 1974) The associated pH drops, and heavy metal deposits can have dire effects if not corrected. Sustainable solutions should be effective in the long-term and require minimal upkeep and funding. (Torres et al., 2018)

In the Journal of Cleaner Production, Torres et al. (2018), describe a sustainable solution that addresses both the pH and heavy metals by constructing a two-stage passive treatment system in the flow-path of the AMD, utilizing natural geochemical processes. In the first stage, they distributed limestone sand in a wood shaving matrix. Limestone dissolution successfully brought the water pH up to 6, and chemical reactions removed aluminum, iron, arsenic, lead, copper, and up to 70% of sulfate, precipitating these contaminants into oxyhydroxides and gypsum. In the second stage, barium carbonate powder was distributed in a wood shaving matrix. This stage further reduced sulfates to better than drinking water standards, and reduced the metals zinc, manganese, nickel, cobalt, cadmium, and thallium to undetectable levels through chemical processes which trap these metals in calcite. In addition, water hardness was reduced by about 70%.

This solution creatively combines concepts from existing active and passive AMD treatment systems into a single design that is both effective and sustainable. Unlike most other passive AMD abatement systems, this design comprehensively cleans the water to drinking standards, with relatively short residence times of thirty hours per stage. Unlike active AMD abatement techniques, which can involve wastewater treatment plants with costly ongoing labor, energy usage, and supply expenses, this method requires less upkeep and resource expenses in total. Utilizing the potential energy of gravity, this solution places barium carbonate into a passive system. Barium carbonate can be a bit expensive. However, the exact amount needed can be calculated with a lab test to reduce excess spending on the product, and it proves very effective at reducing sulfates and divalent metals. The calcite crystals in this stage also stand-up to weathering over time, keeping the metals trapped in the long term. (Torres et al., 2018)