RICHARD, W.Va. — The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is monitoring overflow at the Richard Mine Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Facility along Deckers Creek near Morgantown.
DEP Deputy Director Travis Parsons said the area received more than four inches of rainfall during the Father’s Day storms which is the likely cause.
“Our best guess is that all that rain and ground water seeped into the coal voids at Richard and recharged the mine pool to a level that is unprecedented,” Parsons said.
The facility was was put into place a few years ago after nearly three decades of complaints about pollution from area residents. The facility was designed to handle up to four times the amount of the typical discharge, and the rain and subsequent runoff surge have exceeded that capacity.
“We’re able to capture and treat all but about 300 or 400 gallons per minute, which was the historic level that was there prior to building the plant,” Parsons said.
So far, there have been limited reports from the public about problems in Deckers Creek, and they continue to monitor conditions. The overflow amount will continue to drop until water levels are able to normalize.
“We haven’t received any notifications of fish kills or anything like that, and the pH level of Deckers Creek is remaining neutral,” Parsons said. “Luckily, the stream flow remains high, so it’s keeping things flushed out and diluting what is going into the stream.”
The plant has operated as designed, and this incident is attributed to the isolated, one-time event. If these types of rain events continue, Parsons said they’ll have to begin to consider the process of expanding the capacity of the facility.
“We’re not going to redesign the system for one event, but if the trends start increasing this way, then certainly we’ll have to add to the plant to handle the additional capacity,” Parsons said.
Before the plant was put online last year, estimates were that more than 292,000 pounds of acid mine drainage hit Deckers Creek every year. Parsons credits the staff at the plant for monitoring and maintaining plant operations through this difficult period.
“I’m really proud of the folks we have up there running the plant and their response,” Parsons said. “The partnership with the Office of Special Recreation is really good teamwork.”