Title
Long-Term Trends in AMD and Marcellus Shale Related Parameters in Beech Creek and Clearfield Watersheds, Pennsylvania
Start Date
10-11-2017 8:00 PM
End Date
10-11-2017 9:59 PM
Description
The Beech Creek and Clearfield area watersheds in central Pennsylvania have a long history of coal mining, which resulted in a legacy of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) degradation of water and soil resources. Beginning in 2008, the area experienced another wave of resource extraction related to Marcellus Shale gas-well drilling. Recent gas-well drilling has raised concerns among citizens and the science community relating to potential impacts of resource extraction on the quality of water resources and ecosystems. In the wake of Marcellus Shale drilling activities, Lock Haven University’s Geology program forged a partnership with several community-based organizations to monitor the quality of surface water within these watersheds over a long-term basis. On average, a total of 20 samples have been collected monthly from Beech Creek and Clearfield County watersheds beginning in 2010 for laboratory analysis. The parameters monitored include, but are not limited to, temperature, pH, TDS, total Fe, Al3+, Ba2+, Cl-, and SO42-, which were determined using HACH™ DR6000 Spectrophotometer and HACH™ multi-parameter probes. These parameters were chosen due to their association to both AMD and Marcellus Shale drilling activities. Over the years of the study, there have been multiple streams with concentrations that warranted alarm and potential for further investigation. The Moose Creek tributary in Clearfield County is an emergent issue, featuring low pH and high aluminum concentrations relative to the rest of the study locations in Clearfield County. Stoney Run in Clearfield County continues to prove itself as a severely impaired by low pH and high TDS. The samples collected from Beech Creek at Monument and Jonathan Run in Beech Creek watershed shows deterioration in terms of TDS, total Fe, Ba2+, and SO42- values over time. In conclusion, Marcellus Shale drilling and the legacy of AMD damage in these watersheds continue to be a problem, as seen in the slow decrease in water quality.
Keywords
Beech Creek, Clearfield, water quality, Marcellus Shale, acid mine drainage, mining
Type
Poster
Session
Poster session
Language
eng
Long-Term Trends in AMD and Marcellus Shale Related Parameters in Beech Creek and Clearfield Watersheds, Pennsylvania
Elaine Langone Center, Terrace Room
The Beech Creek and Clearfield area watersheds in central Pennsylvania have a long history of coal mining, which resulted in a legacy of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) degradation of water and soil resources. Beginning in 2008, the area experienced another wave of resource extraction related to Marcellus Shale gas-well drilling. Recent gas-well drilling has raised concerns among citizens and the science community relating to potential impacts of resource extraction on the quality of water resources and ecosystems. In the wake of Marcellus Shale drilling activities, Lock Haven University’s Geology program forged a partnership with several community-based organizations to monitor the quality of surface water within these watersheds over a long-term basis. On average, a total of 20 samples have been collected monthly from Beech Creek and Clearfield County watersheds beginning in 2010 for laboratory analysis. The parameters monitored include, but are not limited to, temperature, pH, TDS, total Fe, Al3+, Ba2+, Cl-, and SO42-, which were determined using HACH™ DR6000 Spectrophotometer and HACH™ multi-parameter probes. These parameters were chosen due to their association to both AMD and Marcellus Shale drilling activities. Over the years of the study, there have been multiple streams with concentrations that warranted alarm and potential for further investigation. The Moose Creek tributary in Clearfield County is an emergent issue, featuring low pH and high aluminum concentrations relative to the rest of the study locations in Clearfield County. Stoney Run in Clearfield County continues to prove itself as a severely impaired by low pH and high TDS. The samples collected from Beech Creek at Monument and Jonathan Run in Beech Creek watershed shows deterioration in terms of TDS, total Fe, Ba2+, and SO42- values over time. In conclusion, Marcellus Shale drilling and the legacy of AMD damage in these watersheds continue to be a problem, as seen in the slow decrease in water quality.