Environmental Impacts of Acid Mine Drainage in the Appalachian Region
| dc.contributor.author | Burns, Pamela J. | en |
| dc.contributor.committeechair | Daniels, W. Lee | en |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Eick, Matthew J. | en |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Reiter, Mark S. | en |
| dc.contributor.department | Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences | en |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-06-15T14:39:18Z | en |
| dc.date.available | 2022-06-15T14:39:18Z | en |
| dc.date.issued | 2022-05-10 | en |
| dc.description.abstract | Coal mining in the Appalachian region was not regulated with respect to environmental effects until the 1960’s and 1970’s. The lack of appropriate mining impact regulations and management protocols caused detrimental effects to the environment, natural resources, wildlife, and residents within the region. As time progressed, Appalachia residents, scientists, mining companies and many others started to notice dramatic changes in the environment within the region due to active mining operations and abandoned coal mine-lands. Acid mine drainage (AMD) was discovered and has since been well-documented for its acidic and metalliferous properties. AMD is a harmful water pollutant caused by the oxidation of pyrite and other sulfides which become exposed to surface conditions during mining operations. The pyrite, or other sulfur-containing minerals, react with surface and shallow subsurface water and oxygen causing a chemical reaction which results in sulfuric acid. The AMD then enters rivers and streams where it affects aquatic species, wildlife, humans, and the pH of waters. By the 1960’s, altered ecosystems were observed due to mining overburden (spoil) disposal methods such as the “shoot and shove” method of contour surface (strip) mining. These methods impaired natural resources by contaminating water sources with acidity, heavy metals and bulk salts. As mining operations progressed in the pre-regulated era, mined lands were often abandoned leaving sulfidic materials exposed leading to the release of associated metals such as Al, Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn which led to extreme water quality issues as toxicity became notable in contaminated streams causing teratogenic effects on fish and wildlife populations. Later, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) was created to guide and regulate the environmental impacts of active and past coal mining operations. In particular, water quality protections implemented by SMCRA have made a significant improvement to the overall health and restoration of both active and abandoned mine lands (AML) in the Appalachian region. | en |
| dc.description.degree | MALS | en |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10919/110787 | en |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.publisher | Virginia Tech | en |
| dc.rights | Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ | en |
| dc.subject.cabt | Coal Mining | en |
| dc.subject.cabt | Water Quality | en |
| dc.subject.cabt | Aquatic Impacts | en |
| dc.subject.cabt | Mined Lands | en |
| dc.subject.cabt | Reclamation | en |
| dc.title | Environmental Impacts of Acid Mine Drainage in the Appalachian Region | en |
| dc.type | Report | en |
| dc.type.dcmitype | Text | en |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Environmental Science | en |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | en |
| thesis.degree.level | masters | en |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences | en |