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Mining in Barboursville: Water
Dust abatement techniques used by General Shale involve spraying the mined material with water, and washing dump trucks as they leave the mine. The drought conditions experienced in this area during the last few years make any additional water use problematic. In Executive Order 33, issued August 30th of this year, Governor Warner says that ``the potential effects of this drought constitute a natural disaster wherein human life, public and private property, and the environment are imperiled''. General Shale estimates that its truck wash would use about 300 gallons per day, drawn from a well, with additional water for dust abatement coming from their sediment ponds. However, the company has not made any commitment to adhere to this level of water usage and no mechanism is in place for monitoring water usage at the site. It would be impossible to accurately monitor water usage in any case. Whether drawn from a well or a pond, the additional water usage would help deplete the local aquifers.Adequate water of good quality is essential to the health of any community. Local residents are worried about the potential effects a mine could have on their wells, should mining activity intersect a local aquifer. The county has required that General Shale agree to take responsibilities for dried-up wells under some very limited circumstances, but these do little to help. The County has said:
``Should any residential water well having a depth of one hundred feet or less located within one thousand feet of the outer perimeter of the actual area in which General Shale is then mining, and which is in existence on or before the date of such mining is commenced, be impacted in terms of water quantity, said well shall be replaced at the expense of General Shale.''
Note that the County does not hold General Shale responsible for the quality of well water, only its quantity. Wells could be contaminated due to the mining operation. For example, oil leaks at mine sites have contaminated wells in the past. Also, there is no guarantee for wells drilled after mining has commenced in an area, but which are damaged by subsequent mining activity in that area. Note that the guarantee is tied to the area which General Shale is ``then mining'', thus subsequent damage to the aquifer resulting from long-term exposure of currently-unused mine sites is not covered by this guarantee. Finally, no guarantee is made for wells deeper than 100 feet, even though they may be affected by the mining operation.
Even stricter guarantees would be inadequate to protect the welfare of the local residents. Without constant monitoring, a contaminated aquifer could have severe health consequences for the local residents before the damage is detected. An intensive industrial operation of this kind is simply inappropriate in the middle of a residential community.
Finally, note that water quality concerns are exacerbated by the presence of elevated levels of uranium in the area.
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