IGS Info > IGS Projects

Project Details

---

Project Information Sheet

Monitoring hydrologic conditions in the vicinity of an acid seep at the Chinook abandoned mine lands site in Clay County, Indiana

Funding Source:	Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Reclamation
Period of Contract:	1 Dec 2006 to 30 Nov 2007
Status:	active — Definition of status type
Project Director:	Jack Haddan and Greg Olyphant

Issue

The Chinook Mine reclamation site in Clay County, Indiana, contains a coal-processing waste pile consisting of a mixture of coarse and fine refuse that covers approximately 120 acres. This waste pile is a significant source of acidic runoff and seepage that pollutes the surrounding drainage system.

Objective

We will undertake a monitoring study to more fully characterize the hydrology of a large abandoned coal-waste deposit at the Chinook abandoned mine lands reclamation site. The immediate goal of the project is to monitor the response of the water table in the coal-waste deposit to precipitation events.

Approach

The monitoring will consist of installing pressure transducers in five or six wells installed by personnel of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Reclamation, and in a pond that has formed on the surface of the deposit. The transducers will be programmed to collect data hourly for a period of 12 months. A rain/snow gauge will be installed adjacent to one of the monitoring wells to obtain site-specific precipitation data. The site will be visited every 2 weeks for one full year to download data and verify the calibration of the pressure transducers. A slug test will be conducted in each monitoring well to determine the hydraulic conductivity of the waste-deposit sediments. On two occasions (at the beginning of the study when the water table is elevated, and in late summer when it is depressed) water samples will be collected from each well, the pond, and a seep that exists at the base of the waste deposit. The water samples will be analyzed by personnel of the Geochemistry Section of the Indiana Geological Survey, paying particular attention to identifying similarities in the chemical composition of the seepage water and the ground water in the waste deposit.

Products

The monitoring data and results will be presented in maps, time-series graphs, chemistry tables, and a brief narrative of the findings.

Benefits

A detailed analysis of the hydraulic gradients within the waste deposit will allow identification of any changes that occur in the ground-water chemistry in relation to seasonal and weather cycles. This analysis might have implications for other abandoned mine lands, as well as leading to a greater understanding of the specific Chinook site.

Locations Affected:

Clay

Indiana House Districts Affected:

43

44

Indiana Senate Districts Affected:

37

Indiana Congressional Districts Affected:

Information Updated January 31, 2007

Copyright © 2009, The Trustees of Indiana University