The development of the Pine Glen Active Treatment Plant was initiated to provide continuous treatment of a degraded discharge at a bond forfeiture site (Title V). The drainage created a four-acre “kill zone” immediately below the mine site and also affected over two miles of an existing stream. The system was originally intended to only treat drainage from the bond forfeiture site, the opportunity arose during the design process, to include the treatment of drainage from abandoned coal mines (operational before 1977; Title IV) that were the major source of stream degradation. Additional funding was obtained to expand the capacity of the system to provide treatment for both Title IV and Title V discharges in order to achieve meaningful and sustainable restoration of several miles of streams. Collection and pretreatment channels (CPC) were installed in order to direct the flow to an existing pond and subsequently through the system intake and to a mix tank where hydrated lime is fed using an automatic pH-control to adjust pH and neutralize acidity. The neutralized discharge flows into a series of three treatment ponds to remove iron, aluminum, and manganese as solids. The solids are pumped through permanent sludge lines to and dewatered within adjacent ponds. The effluent is then directed into the existing diversion channel.
The design and construction were funded through a 2010 $461,886 PADEP “SMCRA” grant to address the drainage associated with the primacy bond forfeiture site. Additional funding was obtained to address the pre-act (Title IV) drainage including a $100,000 US Office of Surface Mining Watershed Cooperative Agreement for construction of additional treatment facilities and a $664,373 2013 PADEP Growing Greener grant to expand the construction effort and provide the resources for ongoing operation and maintenance associated with the Title IV drainage.
PA DEP Primacy Bond Forfeiture Site & Abandoned Mine Sites/PA DEP
SMP #14803008
Avery Coal Co., Inc. & Pre-act mine operations
Burnside Township, Centre Co., PA
Eric Rosengrant, Watershed Manager
(erosengran@pa.gov; 814-342-8137)
2016 Completion Date (BMI “design-build”)