Coal Impoundment Location and Warning System

www.coalimpoundment.org

John Quaranta, Ph.D., P.E. WV Water Research Institute

West Virginia University

Pennsylvania’s Abandoned Mine Reclamation& Coal Mining Heritage Conference

August 12 - 14, 2008State College, PA

The Coal Impoundment Location and Warning System is a pilot project developed by the:

Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC)Wheeling Jesuit University

West Virginia University’s Water Research InstituteNational Energy Technology Laboratory

Center for Educational TechnologiesClifford M. Lewis S.J. Appalachian Institute at Wheeling Jesuit

International Union of Operating Engineers

Project Contributors

• Mine Safety and Health Administration • Peabody Energy

• West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection • Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition

• West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey • Verizon

• West Virginia Highlands Conservancy • Kentucky Dept. of Mines and Minerals

• Pennsylvania Bureau of Deep Mine Safety • Raleigh County 9-1-1

• Massey Energy Company • Coal River Mountain Watch

• WV Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training • Office of Surface Mining

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Consol Energy

• Virginia Dept. of Mines, Minerals and Energy

Introduction: Martin County, Oct. 11, 2000

• Martin County Coal Company’s Big Branch Slurry Impoundment broke through an underground mine.

• 309 million gallons of coal slurry was released.

• Deemed the “worst environmental disaster in the southeastern U.S.”

• The National Academy of Sciences has since made recommendations to improve safety and reduce environmental impacts of coal waste impoundments.

Purpose: • To provide public awareness of impoundments.

• To develop a web site that provides details of coal slurry impoundments and emergency information.

• To address the recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences.

Introduction: The Project

Information:• Locations of impoundments in: WV, PA, KY, TN, OH

• First responders and emergency action plans

• History of coal impoundments and impoundment failures

• Alternatives to impounding coal waste

The Web Site

The Web Site: Locating Impoundments

Locating Tool #1: The Zoom Feature

The Web Site: Locating Impoundments

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The Web Site: Locating Impoundments

Zoom 2

Locating Tool #2: The Search Field

• Appears on every page

• User can search for impoundments by typing:– State (KY, OH, PA, TN, WV)

– County

– Zip code

– Impoundment name

The Web Site: Locating Impoundments

Locating Tool #3: A-Z Listing of Impoundments

• Can be sorted by:– Impoundment name

– County

– MSHA identification number

– Coal company name

The Web Site: Locating Impoundments

Locating Tool #4: Interactive Mapping

• User can access topographic maps and aerial photography for impoundments in the state of WV.

• There are multiple layers of information: Coal Related Impoundments Zip Codes Interstate Highways Counties Evacuation Points/Areas Cities and Towns Rivers/Streams Roads

The Web Site: Locating Impoundments

Routing Plan w/ Road Blocks, Evacuation Centers

Zoom-In to Layers w/ Road Block, Evacuation Centers,

Impoundment with Evacuation Area and Routing

Underground Mining Layer

Areal Photo, Evacuation Routing, Underground Mining

USGS Topographic Mapping w/population

The Web Site: Responders and Plans

Full-Text Form

Emergency Action Plans

• Summary form includes most pertinent information:– Emergency phone numbers– Evacuation plans– Actions and responsibilities of first responders– Contact phone numbers

The Web Site: Responders and Plans

Summary Form

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State of Reported Occurrences

Number of Reported Occurrences by State (1970-2004)

• Volumes ranged from 1,000 to 309,000,000 gallons

• Spills resulting in coal slurry leaving company property appear to be increasing over the past two decades – May be result of more reporting– May be result of age of impoundments in

relationship to their original engineering design

The Web Site: Failures Database

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1972 1977 1980 1981 1987 1988 1991 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Year & Occurrences

Occurence Frequency and Types of Coal Slurry Incidents Per Year

Type 3 Incident - Pipeline Failure, Intentional Discharge,Insufficient Info, Accidental Discharge, Unknown Causes,Environmental Matter, Not Impoundment Safety Related,Slurry CellType 2 Incident - Impoundment Failure, EmbankmentFailure, Slope Instability, Earth Movement, Geotech Piping

Type 1 Incident - Underground Breakthroughs

Coal slurry impoundment releases and causes 1972-2003.

The Web Site: Failures Database

The Web Site: Failures Database

• To provide public awareness of impoundments.

• To develop a web site that provides details of coal slurry impoundments and emergency information.

• To address the recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences.

Review: Three Points

National Academy of Sciences Recommendations

• Alternative Technologies / Uses for coarse and fine coal refuse.• mapping and characterization of refuse materials for use as feedstock for waste coal fired power plants & coal-to-liquid technologies.

• Instrumentation technology development for real-time data collection and emergency warning systems.

• FEMA-Table Top Reviews of Emergency Action plans with coal operators, regulators, responders.

• Robotics for underground mapping and mine rescue.• Geosynthetic fabric research for coal particle filtration.• Bacteria research for methane production.• Guidance Document Development.

Alternative Uses for Impoundments

Communication signal and relay vectors

FEMA Table Top Review of Emergency Action Plan

Impoundment Guidance Documents

• The Coal Slurry Impoundment project web site www.coalimpoundment.org provides citizens, emergency responders, and industry with information to enhance the safety of impoundments and explore alternatives to impounding coal waste.

• Project continues to address National Academy report findings & collaborate with US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and State regulatory agencies to promote safer impoundments through outreach and research.

In Conclusion: