Looking dim
After close to two years of extensive water testing and the gathering of countless pages of data from the DEP, the EPA, the Water Research Institute, and the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) of Greene County, I have come to the conclusion that nothing has changed.
The state put out a call for citizens to help the DEP in locating problems with the environment (2010) The IWLA answered the call by developing and maintaining an ongoing water monitoring program for our area. Although the program provides a good amount of valuable data on stream quality, it seems to be of no avail. This water testing revealed six areas of stream-damaging discharges; the locations and data were reported to the DEP and EPA. In fact, one of the bad discharges is under the direct responsibility of the DEP. The Clyde mine outbreak into Ten Mile Creek near Clarksville is the responsibility of the state’s DEP. When questioned about the problem, the DEP’s response was that the impacts to the stream are minimal and that there is no money to correct the problem. So day after day the discharge continues to flow into the stream. I guess it is okay for the conditions of Ten Mile Creek to become similar to the conditions like those in the lower end of Dunkard Creek. The main difference between the Dunkard and Ten Mile Creek situation is that Tri-County Water Authority’s intakes are within two miles of the discharge on Ten Mile.
To add a little more flavor to the pot, I recently received some very disturbing news about Pit Gas mine near Clarksville. It seems that over the past several months, the water levels in the mine have been raising about a foot per month. In September, the mine pool rose about five feet. Why did this happen? One reason could be that the mine pool has filled all its capacity to handle any more water. Another possibility is that some outside source is affecting the water levels. One thing that we can rule out is rain. Until the recent “Storm Sandy” precipitation, we have been in a drought condition for weeks. The problem is that the water is there and it is rising. There is a very real possibility that the mine’s raw, untreated water can break into Ten Mile Creek near the Clyde Discharge. That location, then, is facing a double whammy, which will add even greater stress upon the tri-county intakes. The quality of the water in Pit Gas mine is poor to bad. The pH is around 4 and the TDS and EC are also very high. I do not think that anyone really knows how bad the impacts of the outbreak will be. When DEP at the California office was asked about the situation, the comment was that the water will flow toward the Dilworth Mine and they will treat the problem. I hope that is the case, but I doubt it!
The current Clyde mine discharge and Alpha’s discharges into Ten Mile, along with Pit Gas mine’s pending outbreak, adds to the rising water quality problems. For example, let us look at the Alpha Mine discharges (Emerald and Cumberland). Data on record at the DEP office in California shows – by Alpha’s own admissions – that the discharge from Emerald Mine has not been in compliance for the last five years. These are not IWLA results, they are Alpha’s own results, of which the DEP is highly aware. And yet, the DEP continues to issue new permits for water discharges without any correction to the problems. For example, I can say through my own testing with the IWLA that the new permitted discharges into Whiteley Creek do not meet the 2010 recommended standards by the Environmental Equality Board. Herein lies the problem. The industry will state that they can not meet these new standards and that jobs will be lost. So here is the decision one has to make. Will we have mining jobs or will we have clean water? I know that the technology to clean the water is present, but the cost to clean the water is high. This brings to mind a quote that was expressed at a meeting with Alpha, the county commissioners, Consol and me. The Alpha spokesperson stated, “We have the technology to clean the water to a drinkable condition, but we have stockholders to answer to.” I will not go into my response to that statement.
So here we are: jobs vs. clean water. This does not have to be the case. At present, 42 percent of the coal mined in the Pittsburgh region is being sent overseas. Why can’t we levy a small fee on each ton of coal being sent overseas and take that money and in cooperation with the industry, build water treatment plants to handle the problem? Let’s go one step further: we know that our natural gas will be sent overseas (mainly China), so why not impose a fee on each 1,000 cubic feet and take that money to clean up problems in the gas drilling industry? Or how about this, why not take a certain percent of that fee and add it to Social Security and Medicare? Why should this country suffer environmental impacts to help foreign countries develop their economies? I am sure OPEC would have no problem implementing such a fee if needed.
In closing, I would like to comment on a recent Messenger article I wrote about the “War on Coal.” In the article, I stated that we are producing more coal today than in 1977 and that we have three times as many people working in the coal industry than in 2005. Some people doubted these facts. In a recent article in another media outlet, there was a well-written article by Vicki Smith of the Associated Press, which further explained and confirmed my facts. It is worth reading. One thing that really stood out was the fact that the decline in coal use was not because of a war on coal; instead, it was due to a change in the fuel needed for our power plants. Our power plants are changing to natural gas. Gas is as cheap as coal and it is much cleaner to burn. It is a sign of changing times that the gas boom has brought to our region. It is sad to say, but the coal that our economy has depended on is going by the wayside. In comes the new king: natural gas.
As always, trust in God and be sure to vote.