Reducing Water Pollution Caused by Acid Mine Drainage
LUZERNE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Restoring the natural flow of Nanticoke Creek and removing old dams and culverts will help prevent further acid mine drainage, erosion, flooding, and waterway pollution.
After generations of a thriving coal economy, Pennsylvania is now home to approximately 5,000 abandoned underground mines, making up one third of the abandoned mine lands in the country. These mines—which often produce a form of water pollution known as acid mine drainage—release toxic metals, contaminants, and methane gas into the environment and pose serious health risks for humans and wildlife.
While acid mine drainage is not as common in the Great Lakes Basin as other forms of pollution and environmental harm, it is important to recognize the different threats to local waters and how they impact drinking water, public health, and quality of life. One of the principles of Great Lakes restoration and protection is the need to tackle—in a comprehensive way—all of the issues impacting the waters that people and wildlife rely on.
Acid mine drainage is the leading source of water pollution in Pennsylvania and occurs when water makes its way through underground mine systems, where it meets with heavy metals and becomes acidic. When this polluted water flows into connected waterways, it introduces toxic metals like lead and mercury into drinking water, damages the soil, harms the growth of plants, and erodes infrastructure like roads and bridges.
An acid mine drainage treatment system on Nanticoke Creek.
Credit: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
For Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River Basin, which spans almost half the land area of the state, acid mine drainage is a primary concern. Today, only 30% of streams in the basin demonstrate the natural hydrological and ecological qualities of a stream, and some have been declared “biologically dead,” meaning they are unable to support aquatic life. Restoration of these streams is a major step toward improving public and environmental health outcomes across the state.
Thanks to federal funding, nonprofit organization Earth Conservancy is undertaking a major restoration process for Nanticoke Creek, a 4.5-mile tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County. The project will help prevent further acid mine drainage to the Susquehanna River Basin by restoring the creek’s historic alignment and preventing water from flowing into nearby abandoned mines.
To accomplish this, conservationists plan to reconnect the Nanticoke Creek headwaters in the upper part of the stream, allowing water to resume its natural flow. The project will also remove or replace outdated infrastructure like culverts, dams, and bridges to increase the water capacity of the tributary and reduce the risk of erosion and flooding.
In October 2023, Earth Conservancy was awarded $17.5 million in federal grant monies for the restoration of Nanticoke Creek. The funding was awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Abandoned Mine Lands and Acid Mine Drainage Grant Program and was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allocated $240 million to the state of Pennsylvania for clean water projects. Along with a $1,956,427 Brownfields Cleanup grant awarded last June by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Earth Conservancy will use this funding to complete 15,000 linear feet of improvements in the Nanticoke Creek restoration plan.
Resource Challenges Addressed
Water pollution
Acid mine drainage
Public health
Flooding
Habitat restoration
Key Partners
Earth Conservancy, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cost
$19,456,427
Results and Accomplishments
The restoration of Nanticoke Creek will restore 15,000 linear feet of Nanticoke Creek, reducing acid mine drainage, flooding, and erosion.
*This story is part of a Great Lakes restoration success story packet that was used in the Coalition’s 2024 Great Lakes Day, with one story from each state in the region. Read the full packet
