The stream near the site is contaminated with high acidity, iron, and aluminum. How did coal mining cause this? Pyrite, or “fool’s gold,” found in the coal bed and bedrock. When the pyrite was exposed as the coal was mined, a chemical reaction occured between the pyrite and the air, creating sulfuric acid, iron, and hydrogen ions. Sulfuric acid dissolves clays, gathers aluminum, and degrades the aquatic life. FUN FACT: When there is a lot of iron in a stream, the color orange will appear in some places. Some of the remediation efforts include the following: limestone leach beds, anaerobic vertical flow wetlands, sulfate reducing bioreactors, and settling ponds. It takes a lot of work to clean up the mess coal mining caused!

Once the coal was mined, a mineral called pyrite was exposed to air. It oxidized, turning into an acidic solution and leaving a lot of iron leftover. (High content of iron in a stream will make the stream look orange.) The acidic solution dissolves clay and causes aluminum to build up. As a result, the stream is contaminated with high levels of iron, aluminum and acidity. All three of these contaminants degrade aquatic habitat! In order to fix these problems, remediation consists of the following: limestone leach beds, anaerobic vertical flow wetlands, aerobic wetlands, sulfate reducing bio-reactors, and settling ponds. It is a lot of work to fix a stream that has been polluted!

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