Episode 015 Field Notes Coal Slurry Impoundments, Coal Country (#02 in Series)
The following are notes captured during the research and refinement process. The released episode is the refined product durived from these notes. Therefore, they ARE NOT refined. These notes do include additional reference material and information not included in the final version of the episode. Some elements were not included in the final release because additional validation is required. Some portions were omitted due to time restraints. Multiple drafts of the narrative is sometime included. This information has been provided for fellow historians and researchers interested in advancing the story, and to illustrate the process used to create these episodes. As always, validate and confirm before use.
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Episode 15
Two points of entry of the coal slurry into the streams. 1) From North Portal started at Cold Water Fork to Rock Castle Creek in Inez, Ky 2) Started in Big Andy Branch into Wolf Creek to Tug Fork in Lovely
Fish at Pigeon Roost Community Center https://app.fw.ky.gov/fisheries/accesssitedetail.aspx?asid=1252 or
Fish at Hole Road Warfield, Ky 37.845370, -82.420498 boat ramp at this location https://www.google.com/maps/place/KY-292,+Warfield,+KY/@37.8454193,-82.4200985
Fish at Tug Fork 37.63644 -82.173584 https://www.google.com/maps/@37.636485,-82.1736419,3a,75y,280.86h,88.93t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s_Td3XLEXo4h5ZtnozsrXeA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu
Gov. Andy Beshear 2019-2027 Democratic
Gov. Matt Bevin 2015-2019 Republican
Gov. Steven L. Beshear 2007-2015 Democratic
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Levisa Fork https://fw.ky.gov/Education/Pages/Levisa-Fork.aspx
Coal River Mountain Watch is where the Elementary school is located that was featured in The Last River Film https://www.crmw.net/projects/marsh-fork-elementary.php
Creek Restoration https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Sustainability-and-Environment/Streams/Stream-Monitoring/Donaldson-Run Read this to understand the work needed for Dry Creek.
Agency working to restore mine sites https://www.osmre.gov/
Pittsburgh Botanic Garden https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ATXppBp6Ci3aQcXz1s91g/videos?app=desktop
Maria Gunnoe https://youtu.be/MkbJxVDG7dk?si=YDm7mgtc4Z4b7XRi
Coal use down https://ieefa.org/resources/coal-use-us-power-plants-continues-downward-spiral-full-impact-mines-be-felt-2024
Wolf Creek https://ertvideo.org/content.aspx?video_id=7351
Jack Spadaro a whistleblower who worked in natural resources and mining was one of the lead investigators that looked into the spill. He reported evidence that showed the administration and the engineers who were to be looking out for the best interests of people were aware of another spill in the same area from 1994 on, but they had never released the information to the public and had instead covered it up. Specifically, Spadaro argued that the Bush administration was covering up the Martin County spill. Spadaro complained that the new administration had given lucrative contracts for work at the National Mine Health and Safety Academy to friends, and that the MSHA was divided into 186 smaller contracts. The MSHA denied the accusations. On June 4, 2003, government agents began sifting through Spadaro's documents in his office. He was locked out and placed on involuntary administrative leave. Eventually the investigation was closed, and Spadaro's evidence was discarded.
One of the lead MSHA Inspectors assigned to the Martin County Sludge Spill was Jack Spa-dare-o . He was one of a few individuals who has direct connections with both the Buffalo Creek Disaster and the Martin County Sludge Spill. In 1972 Jack Spadaro had been one of the investigators called upon by Governor Arch Moore to investigate the Buffalo Creek Disaster and he still had vivid memories of the dead bodies being pulled from the mud. Here’s what happened when he went to file his report into the Martin County Sludge Spill.
Chris Barton. He is a professor at UK and founder of Green Forest Works https://www.greenforestswork.org/
Thursday, Nov. 7th 2013
Frustrated the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) bypassed Kentucky and other major coal producers during its "listening session" tour on regulations for existing power plants, Senator McConnell, on Thursday, Nov. 7th6 2013, attended the EPA's listening session in Washington, D.C. and brought along a representative from James River Coal so that the EPA could hear the concerns of Kentucky coal miners and their families.
Buffalo Creek Disaster: On February 26, 1972, a coal slurry impoundment dam, in Logan County West Virgina, collapsed releasing a 15 foot wave and 132,000,000 gallons of black sludge and water upon the residents of 16 coal towns along the Buffalo Creek Hollow, killing 125, injuring 1,121 were injured, and over 4,000 were left homeless. 551 houses were destroyed, along with 30 businesses. The disaster destroyed or damaged homes in Saunders, Pardee, Lorado, Craneco, Lundale, Stowe, Crites, Latrobe, Robinette, Amherstdale, Becco, Fanco, Braeholm, Accoville, Crown and Kistler
The Martin County coal slurry spill was a mining accident that occurred after midnight on October 11, 2000, when the bottom of a coal slurry impoundment owned by Massey Energy in Martin County, Kentucky, broke into an abandoned underground mine below. The slurry came out of the mine openings, sending an estimated 306 million US gallons of slurry down two tributaries of the Tug Fork River. By morning, Wolf Creek was oozing with the black waste; on Coldwater Fork, a 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) stream became a 100-yard (91 m) expanse of thick slurry.
The spill, which contained arsenic and mercury, killed everything in the water. It was over five feet deep in places and covered nearby residents' yards. The spill polluted hundreds of miles (200–300 mi or 300–500 km) of the Big Sandy River and its tributaries and the Ohio River. The water supply for over 27,000 residents was contaminated, and all aquatic life in Coldwater Fork and Wolf Creek was killed.
The spill was 30 times larger than the Exxon Valdez oil spill, spilling 12 million US gallons (45,000 cubic metres; 45 million litres). It was one of the worst environmental disasters ever in the southeastern United States, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The spill was exceeded in volume by the Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill in 2008.
In 2001, the EPA ordered Massey Energy to clean up and restore the damaged areas of Martin County. The EPA took measures to investigate this site and make restoration plans. A decade later,[when?] there are still water quality issues in Martin County; people are still finding sludge and slurry in their surface waters, such as streams.
2006 Marsh Fork Elementary was threatened on two fronts. One is the coal dam that overlooked the school. If it were to fail it would result in 2.8 billion gallons of coal slurry crashing not only into the school, but also a 30 mile wide radius of the surrounding area. The second threat is a coal silo located only 150 feet away from the school that residents claim spews coal dust into the air. Parents of the children were concerned that their children were being exposed to the dust from the silo, with several parents having reported that their children were getting sick on a consistent basis after going to school.
Elaine Lan Chao (wife of Mitch McConnell) (born March 26, 1953) is an American businesswoman and former government official who served as United States secretary of labor in the administration of George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009 and as United States secretary of transportation in the administration of Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021.
Coal mines. Tree Huggers and God Charles Annenberg Weingarten Marsh Fork Elementary School
I'm trying to wrap my arms/mind around Charles Annenberg Weingarten and Marsh Fork Elementary School. Massey caused the problem. Permits were issued to allow the pond to be built above the school. Massey needed to build another elevator. Massey Energy agreed to provide $1 million to replace the school. The Annenburge foundation pledged 2.6 million. The state School Building Authority allocated $2.6 million, and the county school board has pledged $1 million. Non-profit(s) kicked in 10,000. In other word; Massey created the problem, drained the funds from the local tax base, got credit for donating 1M, and got the site cleared for expansion. It's Charles Annenberg Weingarten I'm trying to figure out. Good guy? or Rich kid, outsider, playing to the locals? Perhaps both, but is/was he sincere? Is it a who cares, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" scenario?
A watershed is a region of land that drains rainwater and snow melts into a specific body of water. From Cityscapes to farmland, mountains and forests to wetlands, watershed water moves downhill from the highest spots we can see and eventually flows into the ocean. Almost half of the land in the continental United States drains into the Mississippi River and moves downstream to the Gulf of Mexico. The moving water in this enormous area ties all living organisms together. We are all interconnected. What occurs in one area impacts every living creature that lies downstream.
The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster occurred on April 5, 2010 roughly 1,000 feet (300 m) underground in Raleigh County, West Virginia at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch coal mine located in Montcoal. Twenty-nine out of thirty-one miners at the site were killed.[1] The coal dust explosion occurred at 3:27 pm.[2] The accident was the worst in the United States since 1970, when 38 miners were killed at Finley Coal Company's No. 15 and 16 mines in Hyden, Kentucky.[3][4][5] A state funded independent investigation later found Massey Energy directly responsible for the blast.[6]
The Sago Mine disaster was a coal mine explosion on January 2, 2006, at the Sago Mine in Sago, West Virginia, United States, near the Upshur County seat of Buckhannon. The blast and collapse trapped 13 miners for nearly two days; only one survived.[1] It was the worst mining disaster in the United States since the Jim Walter Resources Mine disaster in Alabama on September 23, 2001,[2][3] and the worst disaster in West Virginia since the 1968 Farmington Mine disaster. It was exceeded four years later by the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster, also a coal mine explosion in West Virginia, which killed 29 miners in April 2010.
Frustrated the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) bypassed Kentucky and other major coal producers during its "listening session" tour on regulations for existing power plants, Senator McConnell, on Thursday, Nov. 7th, 2013 attended the EPA's listening session in Washington, D.C. and brought along a representative from James River Coal so that the EPA could hear the concerns of Kentucky coal miners and their families.
WET https://eec.ky.gov/Environmental-Protection/Water/Comp_Insp/Pages/Whole-Effluent-Toxicity-Testing.aspx Whole Effluent Toxicity Testing
Surface sources provide about 95 percent of the water used in Kentucky. About 3.5 million Kentuckians are served by surface- water sources, which include nearly 700 drinking-water systems.
The Geology of Coal https://ket.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/watsol.sci.ess.water.geocoal/the-geology-of-coal/
Kentucky Coal Mine Map https://eppcgis.ky.gov/minemapping/
Coal production and sulfur content. http://www.coaleducation.org/ky_coal_facts/coal_resources/us_coal_reserves.htm
https://www.aquasana.com/info/sludge-in-the-water-pd.html
Chemical methylcyclohexane methanol release into Elk River January 2014 https://www.facingsouth.org/2014/01/wv-water-contamination-exposes-chemical-hazards-of.html
Confined or Artesian Groundwater https://www.ngwa.org/what-is-groundwater/About-groundwater/confined-or-artesian-groundwater
Coal Cleaning https://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/coal-ky-info-estimate-tons.php
“Coal Keeps the Lights on” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cj2OQZHbNk
In the 2013 season of “America’s Got Talent”, Jimmy Rose from Pineville Kentucky, performed a song he wrote named “Coal Keeps The Lights on” Little did he know that the lyics of that song would drag him into long standing 75 year political divide between economics and the wellbeing of the environment that would eventually have him standing in the Chambers of Kentucky’s Capital
I have to say that Inviting the EPA to Coal Country is a little like inviting the Preacher to his own Church.
Mitch McConnell has served as a United States Senator ,from Kentucky, since 1985 and is known to have his finger on the pulse of Kentucky politics. His wife, Elaine Chao, served as United States secretary of labor in the administration of George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. As the Secretary of Labor, she would have been charge of the Mine Safety and Health Administration or MSHA.
The EPA was formed on Dec 2, 1970. On February 26, 1972 both the EPA and MSHA were called to Buffalo Creek, West Virginia. Since that time they have made several visits “Coal Country”.
Jimmy Rose was invited to perform the “National Anthem” and “Coal Keeps the Lights On” live on the Kentucky State Senate floor on February 11, 2014.
Coal slurry Impoundments, such as the one associated with the Buffalo Creek flood, often contains mine drainage and is use as a water source in the process of removing mineral impurities from the mined coal. Depending on the coal type, coal has a specific gravity between 1,29 and 1.47 and will sink in water. Therefore, petroleum products such as Kerosene and Diesel Fuel or powdered Magnetite are added to the water to change the density and allow the marketable coal to float to the surface and the impurities to settle to the bottom. For every 100 ton of material that enters the wash plant, 25 to 30 tons of unwanted and unsellable materials are separated. Coarse disposable material, known as “gob”, is often used as backfill at the property or adjacent mine sites. Finer material, still suspended in the water solution, is allowed to settle in slurry ponds. The water is recycled in the prep plant as long as the desired specific gravity can be maintained.
Still today, many of these Coal Slurry impoundments sit behind poorly constructed earth dams in the upper elevations of the mountains and above towns in the hollows and valleys below. One such dam, set directly above the Marsh Fork Elementary Schools. We listed 8 mayor impoundment failures that happened from 1977 to 1996.
For years, there was a debate regarding who, if anyone, had the jurisdiction to oversee the building and maintenance of these dams and water impoundments. and now many have been abandoned by the mining companies as the coal yield played out and/or the mining companies filed bankruptcy.
In addition to the Buffalo Creek Flood
On August 14, 1977, An embankment under construction failed at Island Creek Coal Company's impoundment in Boone County, West Virginia and released 6.8 acre-feet of material downstream.
On December 18, 1981, Eastover Mining Company's Hollow No. 3 combined refuse disposal site failed, releasing 25 million gallons of coal refuse and a 5 foot mudflow to into the community of Ages, Kentucky. One resident was killed, three houses were destroyed, 30 homes were damaged.
On April 8, 1987, a breach developed at Lower Big Branch impoundment at Peabody's Montcoal No. 7 complex in Raleigh County, West Virginia. The rupture released 23 million gallons of water, slurry, and fine coal refuse.
On January 28, 1994, a 5-foot earthen berm failed at a slurry impoundment at the Arkwright Mine in Granville, West Virginia. The incident released 375,000 gallons of water into the town of Granville. No one was injured, three homes were damaged.
On May 22, 1994, at the Martin County Coal Corporation's Big Hollow slurry impoundment in Davella, Kentucky, 32 million gallons of black water inundated an abandoned and sealed-off portion of the mine. The mine's 16-inch concrete-block seals held the black water inundating the mine, but water broke through portal seals and a coal seam outcrop barrier. Although the slurry level dropped by 6 feet, the embankment structure was not damaged, and no injuries or fatalities occurred.
On August 9, 1996, there was a breakthrough at Lone Mountain Processing’s Miller Cove slurry impoundment. Approximately 1 million gallons of black water were released into Gin Creek through an abandoned mine.
On October 24, 1996, a second breakthrough occurred at Lone Mountain Processing’s Miller Cove impoundment, but in another area of the abandoned mine. Approximately 6 million gallons of water and slurry exited the abandoned mine into Gin Creek and flowed 11 miles, where it entered the Powell River’s North Fork. The river was discolored for more than 40 miles.
On November 26, 1996, the Buchanan No.1 impoundment in Buchanan County, Virginia, failed. Coal refuse and slurry from the impoundment broke into an abandoned underground mine and discharged about 1,000 gallons per minute at its peak through two mine portals into the adjacent North Branch
Hollow of the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River. No one was killed or injured.
Listed are 8 major impoundment failures that occurred between the 1972 Buffalo Creek Flood and the 2000 Martin County Coal Flood. As noted, the EPA, MSHA, Governing Bodies, Coal Companies, Federal and State political leaders, and other Authorities Having Jurisdiction were, and are aware today, of these issues.
On October 11, 2000, a coal waste impoundment of the Martin County Coal’s preparation plant near Inez, Kentucky, released slurry containing an estimated 250 million gallons of water and 31 million gallons of coal waste into local streams. Reportedly, the failure was caused by the collapse of the slurry pond into underground coal mine workings next to the impoundment. The slurry broke through an underground mine seal and discharged from mine entrances 2 miles apart into two different watersheds (Wolf Creek and Coldwater Fork).
Although no human life was lost, the release killed aquatic life along the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River and its tributaries. Public water supplies were disrupted when communities along the rivers in both Kentucky and West Virginia. Numerous properties and residences were damaged.
Interviews and narration of the Martin County Coal Slurry Spill were segments from a ERTV Productions named “Martin County, Ky Coal Waste Spill”. The US EPA Environmental Response Team (ERT) is a specialized group of scientists and engineers whose mission is to:
Support the nation's response, cleanup and renewal of its contaminated land, water and air.
Provide high quality service and consultation to those requiring assistance around the world.
Promote the development of technology and procedures in relevant science and engineering areas.
Support the programs within the EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
Disseminate relevant environmental information.
Directions to source information can be found in the video description.
Environmental Protest in Washington: https://www.youtube.com/live/OfmQILW3_As?si=vVzApelvSffsTU2I
Former Coal Mine in Martin County to become a solar energy facility. https://wchstv.com/news/local/former-coal-mine-in-martin-county-ky-to-become-a-solar-energy-facility
MSHA has approximately 1,640 dams in its dam inventory. More than 400 of them are currently classified as high hazard potential. https://www.msha.gov/safety-and-health/safety-and-health-materials/safety-topics/safety-topic-impoundments-and-dams
After the Martin County coal slurry spill, Congress directed MSHA to commission an independent study of the current coal waste disposal methods and an exploration of alternatives for future disposal of coal waste. In addition, Congress directed the study to examine the engineering standards for coal waste impoundments and recommend ways to improve the stabilization of impoundment structures.
The National Research Council (NRC) established the Committee on Coal Waste Impoundments to undertake this study. The committee consisted of 14 experts from academia, industry, and state government with expertise in coal mining, geology, geophysics, geochemistry, hydrology, mining regulations, environmental law, mining health and safety, land-use planning, and geotechnical and geological engineering. The report was released in 2002.
On page 127 of that report the NRC recommended monitoring ground and surface waters for two reasons, one was for water quality and the other was to establish as early detection system of breakthroughs and failures.
To meet these recommendations, mining permits required coal companies to conduct water quality testing and report the results to the States environmental agencies, who would review the reports and inform the Federal EPA of any concerns. Well…heres what happened.
Acid Mine Remediation https://ket.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/watsol.sci.ess.water.amdren/acid-mine-drainage-remediation/
Environmental Impact of Acid Mine Drainage https://ket.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/watsol.sci.ess.water.envimp/environmental-impact-of-acid-mine-drainage/
Acid Mine Drainage https://youtu.be/x3eeZAkiBk0?si=5yvGpnZ4hLEnbOv5
Map of abandoned coal mines: https://skytruth-org.carto.com/viz/743a74d4-6e94-11e5-9f65-0ecfd53eb7d3/embed_map
Blankenship National Press Club https://www.c-span.org/video/?294695-1/surface-coal-mining
Mountaintop removal, a method of surface coal mining that devastates mountaintops and ridgelines, has significantly impacted the Appalachian region. Here are some key facts:
Total Area Affected:
Nearly 1.2 million acres of land have been surface-mined for coal in the Appalachian region.
Over 500 mountains have been destroyed due to mountaintop removal coal mining.
Process of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining:
Clearing: Before mining begins, all topsoil and vegetation are removed. Often, trees are not used commercially and are instead burned or illegally dumped.
Blasting: To access deep coal seams, up to 600 feet or more of elevation is removed using explosives.
Digging: Enormous earth-moving machines called draglines remove coal and debris.
Dumping Waste: Toxic mining waste, known as “overburden” or “spoil,” is legally dumped into nearby valleys, burying headwater streams and causing pollution.
Processing: Coal must be chemically treated before shipping, creating coal slurry containing toxic heavy metals.
Reclamation: While reclamation efforts are required by law, economic development rarely occurs on the newly flattened land, and forest regeneration may take hundreds of years 1.
Geographic Impact:
Mountaintop removal primarily occurs in eastern Kentucky, southern West Virginia, southwestern Virginia, and eastern Tennessee.
Wise County, Virginia, for instance, has seen nearly 40% of its land area impacted by surface mining
Extracting rare earth metals from coal waste: https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/mission-critical-get-critical-minerals-and-rare-earth-metals-coal-waste/
Coal Disaster WV creek teeming with fish https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/26/nation/coal-disaster-50-years-later-wva-creek-teeming-with-fish/
“…Over McConnell’s career, his fifth-biggest source of campaign contributions was Peabody Energy, the largest coal company in the world. Between 1997 and 2000, when he led the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the coal industry gave $584,000 to the group, making it one of the group’s staunchest supporters.
And Massey (Coal)? It hadn’t given the NRSC anything. That is, not until 2002, when the investigation was still pending. That year, it cut a $100,000 check to the group…”
Source: ProPublica Alec MacGillis May 7, 2018
Source: Salon “Dirty Business” by Phillip Babich 10/13/2020 https://www.salon.com/2003/11/13/slurry_coverup/
It's Over! 630 Martin County residents settle coal sludge case; Kirk won't say amount: https://www.kirklawfirm.net/in-the-news/2014/august/its-over-630-martin-county-residents-settle-coal/
What is metallurgical coal and why is it so important to West Virginia? https://www.wboy.com/news/west-virginia/what-is-metallurgical-coal-and-why-is-it-so-important-to-west-virginia/
According to MSHA, they have approximately 1,640 dams in its dam inventory. More than 400 of them are currently classified as high hazard potential. Our team identified the location of several of these dams. However, in keeping with Homeland Security concerns, we elected not to identify their locations in this video. We do feature two major flood events, the Buffalo Creek Disaster, and the Martin Co Coal Waste Spill. We list eight more floods and begin to explore the deep-rooted politics associated with Coal Country. Make sure you read the provided Editor Notes to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the “political gamesmanship”. Additional source notes can be found in the “Research Notes” at www.FishingLocalWaters.com
00:00 Prelude
04:08 Intro
04:45 Jimmy Rose “Coal Keeps the Lights On”
08:01 Mitch McConnell and the EPA
10:25 The Buffalo Creek Disaster
13:51 Jack Wright sings about the Disaster.
16:00 Workings of a Coal Wash Plant
10:00 Eight Coal Slurry Impoundments Floods
19:52 Martin Co Ky Coal Waste Spill
27:17 Jack Spadaro and 60 Minutes
40:04 Closing
Copyright debate
Jimmy Rose was invited (and accepted) to sing "Coal Keeps The Lights On" on the Floor of the Kentucky Capital. The press was invited to film and record the event for distribution purposes, in a public and political setting. Our use of this content is not for enhancement of secondary content. The song itself (regardless of Mr. Roses's intent) became a political statement as soon as it was performed in this political setting and arena. We are reporting on the politics behind Coal Country, and this is now part of that story. Note: Jimmy Rose went on and appeared with Mitch McConnel in other hearings and political settings. Martin Luther King’s “I Had A Dream Speech” speech was recorded in a similar setting and was distributed across the country on network news. We do not agree with or disagree with Jimmy Rose’s political views, and we honor his right to express his views in any manner he elects. We believe we have the right to report these views when expressed in a political setting for political reasons. Regardless to rather or not Mr. Rose was aware of the motives behind the invitation.