Assesment of Water and Sediment Quality in an Abandoned Mine Lands, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

The research area, situated in the upper Hurricane Creek watershed in eastern Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, encompasses a 67-acre abandoned coal strip mine site slated for reclamation in Fall 2024 as part of the USDOI/DOL Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) Program. The AMLER initiative seeks to properly reclaim legacy mining sites, thereby promoting economic development in the community. This study focuses on the pre-reclamation assessment to inform future remediation efforts. Surface water samples were collected monthly and sediment samples were obtained quarterly from ten locations (SW1–SW10) for a 2-year period between June 2022 and May 2024.Stream water pH remained circum-neutral (7–8) throughout the study period, but elevated conductivity (600–1800 µS/cm) and sulfate levels (100–1200 ppm) were observed, except during winter months. In contrast, retention pond (SW8, SW9) and pond outlet (SW10) samples consistently displayed strongly acidic pH (3–3.5), while one stream site (SW7) exhibited lower conductivity (193–585 µS/cm) and higher pH (6.5-8.6) values throughout the sampling period, because SW7 is located in a zone with less hydrological connectivity to acid mine drainage (AMD) sources.ICP-OES analysis of surface water samples revealed elevated concentrations of Ca, Mg, K, & Na (SW1-SW 6), and Fe, Al, Mn (SW8 –SW10) across all sampling seasons. Retention pond and pond outflow sites (SW8-SW10) consistently showed the highest minor and trace element concentrations, surpassing USEPA drinking water MCLs or SMCLs across all seasons. Aluminum (SMCL=0.05-0.2 mg/l), Mn (MCL=0.05 mg/l), and Ni (MCL=0.1 mg/l) concentrations exceeded drinking water standards in all seasons at SW 8 – SW 10 with peak values > 4, 29, and 0.2 mg/l, respectively, measured in October 2023. Iron (MCL=0.3 mg/l) exceeded with values > 2 mg/l in December 2023. Except at site SW7, Mn consistently surpassed the MCL.Particle size analysis categorized sediment samples collected at SW1-SW6 and SW8 as sand and those at SW7, SW9, and SW10 as silt. Sediment extractible element concentrations obtained using USEPA Method 3051A showed consistently high extractable Fe concentrations at the retention pond outflow site, SW10. Across all sites and sampling seasons, Al exhibited the lowest percent extractability (10–35%) while Fe and Mn showed 70-90% extractability.These findings show the need for remediation to reduce potential environmental and health impacts of impaired water quality associated with abandoned mine lands, particularly at sites SW8-SW10. In addition, analysis of the sediment quality sheds light on the distribution and availability of contaminants in the aquatic ecosystem, providing valuable insights for future remediation strategies.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Alabama Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Sunday, Godwin

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Jim Donahoe, Rona

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dimova, Natasha
• Lu, Yuehan
• Bearden, Rebecca

• Abandoned mine lands
• Acid mine drainage
• Sediment quality
• Water quality

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US, English

Dc Identifier Other

1178541

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ir.ua.edu:123456789/17110