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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, 2008 State College, PA. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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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
Zoom 1
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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To
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urr
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KY TN VA WV
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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1 12
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To
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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: