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15 Years of Assessment, Abatement,

and Recovery in the Lower Kettle Creek Watershed:

What’s Next?

Amy WolfeTrout Unlimited

Director Eastern Abandoned Mine Program &

PA Eastern Brook Trout Habitat InitiativeJune 2014

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Mission

To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and

their watersheds.

PROTECT RECONNECT RESTORE SUSTAIN

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Conservation Success Index

www.tu.org/csi

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Celebrating 55 years!

www.tu.org

>150,000 members 400+ chapters 200+ staff 30 offices nationwide

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Kettle Creek Watershed• > 90% watershed, 224 sq mi, is

designated as Exceptional Value water quality (largest in PA)

• Kettle Creek mainstem is one of PA’s most heavily fished stocked trout streams, while tributaries contain some of PA’s most well known native brook trout streams

• Although completely underlain by Marcellus shale, majority of watershed aside from very headwaters will not be developed due to natural gas storage deep wells in the Oriskany sandstone

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Kettle Creek Watershed - AMD

• Unfortunately 12 miles AMD-pollution and 1,087 acres of abandoned mines in very lower section of watershed

• Deep and surface mines in the Upper and Lower Kittanning coal seams

• pH 2.5 – 3.5• Acidity 200 - 600 mg/L• Fe 20 – 50 mg/L• Al 20 – 70 mg/L

Cross Fork

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Kettle Creek Watershed Association & Trout UnlimitedNational TU Home Rivers Initiative (1998-2007)

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Assessment and Restoration Planning• Lower Kettle Creek Restoration Plan (2000) by Hedin Environmental• Kettle Creek Watershed Conservation Guide (2001) by Amy

(Gottesfeld) Wolfe• Kettle Creek Watershed Dirt and Gravel Road Studies: Cross Fork

and Little Kettle Creek (2001) by Neil Wolfe• Kettle Creek Watershed Stewardship Report (2001) by The

Pennsylvania State University Watershed Stewardship Center• Upper Kettle Creek Fish Habitat Conservation Plan (2002) by Larson

Design Group• Huling Branch Mine Complex: Investigation of Acid Mine Drainage

and Recommendations for Remediation (2004) by Hedin Environmental

• Upper Kettle Creek Fish Habitat Conservation Plan: Tributaries Addendum (2005) by Larson Design Group

• Twomile Run Watershed AMD Remediation Master Plan (2007) by Hedin Environmental

• West Side of Lower Kettle Creek AMD Remediation Master Plan (2007) by Hedin Environmental

• Middle Branch Passive Treatment System Rehabilitation Report (2007) by Hedin Environmental

• Reassessment of Acid Mine Drainage Pollution in the Twomile Run Watershed, August – December 2010 (2010) by Hedin Environmental

• KC204 Mine Pool Stabilization Project Report (2011) by Hedin Environmental

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Assessment and Restoration Planning

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Fish Habitat Improvement and Riparian Reforestation

Deb’s Place Project

Kerlin PropertyProject

Headgate Project

Special Regs. Project (upper end)

Germania Branch Adopt-A-Stream

Cross Fork Projects

Kissel ProjectHeivly Project

Bunnel Bridge Project

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Landowner and Youth Education

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AMD - The $$$

• TU and KCWA fundraised $3.9 million in grants since 1998 to study, plan, and construct AMD projects

• Most recently $12.2 million was awarded by DEP BAMR for land reclamation

Grant Source

State (59%) Federal (22%)

Philanthropy (19%)

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Collection Systems – Critical Element of Success

• Installed to collect and monitor flow and chemistry of mine water for several years

• Important for proper design and sizing of passive treatment systems

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Twomile Run Surface Reclamation - 2004

• 57-acre land reclamation

• Vegetable leather tannery byproduct (WesTan soils) amended with sawdust and wood chips

• Reduced flow rate of AMD 30 – 50%

• Reduced acidity and Al loading 30 – 40%

• Reduced size and cost of passive treatment system 30-40% compared to pre-reclamation levels

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Middle Branch Passive Treatment System• DEP BAMR originally designed and

constructed in 2000

• TU/KCWA coordinated autopsy in 2004

• System had no flow controls, too small, short-circuiting

• System rehabilitation completed in 2007

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Robbins Hollow Headwaters Passive Treatment Complex

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Robbins Hollow Headwaters Passive Treatment Complex

Flow pH Acid Fe Mn Al SO4

gpm mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L

RAW Average 3.2 275 30.3 9.9 27.8 499

TREATED EffluentAverage

19 6.9 -77 0.4 3.6 0.5 372

North Branch System

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Robbins Hollow Headwaters Passive Treatment Complex

ALD Flow pH Acid Fe Mn Al SO4

gpm mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L

TREATED EffluentAverage

19 6.9 -80 0.3 0.1 0.3 40

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Robbins Hollow Headwaters Passive Treatment Complex

EB09 Oxic Limestone Bed Flow pH Acid Fe Mn Al SO4

gpm mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L

TREATED EffluentAverage

na 6.7 -13 0.1 0.1 0.4 25

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Robbins Hollow Headwaters Passive Treatment Complex

EB11-12 Oxic Limestone Bed Flow pH Acid Fe Mn Al SO4

gpm mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L

TREATED EffluentAverage

na 6.7 -23 0.4 0.1 0.2 23

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Robbins Hollow Headwaters Passive Treatment Complex

EB10-15 Vertical Flow Limestone Beds Flow pH Acid Fe Mn Al SO4

gpm mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L

RAWAverage

3.5 3.5 109 0.3 1.4 14.9 156

TREATED EffluentAverage

na 7.0 -58 0.2 0.3 0.8 93

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Mine Pool Stabilization Project

• Airborne remote sensing study and follow-up hydrogeological investigations identified potential for severe mine blowout

• Buildup of water in mine due to mine entry collapses and WPA mine seals plugged/collapsed

• ~32 million gallons: Acidity = 700 mg/L, pH = 2.8, Fe = 120 mg/L, Al = 47 mg/L

• Project reestablished water flow through several collapsed mine adits by installing drains into mine openings

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Swamp Area Passive Treatment System

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Swamp Area Passive Treatment System

Flow pH Acid Fe Mn Al SO4

gpm mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/LRAW Average 3.1 351 57.3 21.6 34.4 960

TREATED EffluentAverage

46 7.8 -184 0.6 7.8 <0.3 727

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Robbins Hollow 10A-10B and Pipes 1-4 Passive Systems

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Pipes 1-4 Passive System

Flow pH Acid Fe Mn Al SO4

gpm mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L

RAW Historical Average

16 3.0 330 17.1 15.7 39.5 737

TREATED Average Effluent

7.6 -167.7 <0.10 5.5 0.4 429

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Area 7 “Three-Fingered Devil” Reclamation Project• Backfill 6,000 L.F. of 40-40 ft dangerous

highwall• Add 369,900 tons alkaline material to

acid spoils during grading• Remove 136,608 tons crop coal• Remove of 17,533 tons buried coal

refuse• Install subsurface and rock underdrains

along with deep mine seals• Reconstruct 8,560 ft of ATV trails• 47.4 acres of wildlife habitat grasses• 48,150 trees

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Monitoring and Maintaining Treatment Systems

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Monitoring Biological Recovery

• Annual fish surveys• Quarterly macroinvertebrates

and water quality sampling• Native brook trout genetics• Thermal impacts to coldwater

streams from treatment systems• Brook trout movement as

streams are restored and reconnected

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What is in store for the future of the Kettle Creek watershed?

• Monitor recovery

• Pursue delisting

• Maintain existing treatment systems

• Complete land reclamation

• Monitor and determine if follow-up water treatment will be necessary

• Continue work on aquatic organism passage and fish habitat projects

• Enjoy more fishing opportunities!

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Thank you!

Amy G. WolfeTrout Unlimited

Director Eastern Abandoned Mine Program &

PA Eastern Brook Trout Habitat Initiative

awolfe@tu.org

570.786.9562