Mulga Run, a study in mine water contamination
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Date
1968-06
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Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
Mulga Run is contaminated by mine acid drainage derived from ground water seepage through the pyrite rich Clarion coal seam and mine waste. The major sources of contamination are the 19 coal mines in the Mulga Run basin. These mines contribute water with a pH as low as 2.65 and a sulfate ion content as high as 4000 parts per million. A secondary source of contamination is ground water percolating through the dipping Clarion coal seam and carrying sulfate water to Mulga Run. This water flows down dip through the coal seam and drains into the dip intersecting drainage. The combination of these two sources of contamination were tested at the mouth of Mulga Run where a pH of 2.8 and 1300 parts per million sulfate ions were found. The contamination of Mulga Run could be eliminated by stripping the Clarion coal from the basin.