ET-4F3 (3/14/05 version)
Chemical Integrity: Proposed Abandoned Mine Drainage Reduction Targets

Goal: In Ohio, the driver for addressing Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) causes and sources of water quality impairment and threats to attainment will be endorsed Abandoned Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment (AMDATs) Plans. Specifically, the state goals are:

  • endorsed AMDAT plans for all AMD impacted watersheds in the state; and
  • AMDAT implementation that leads to reductions in acidity and pH levels, metals loadings, and IBI, ICI and QHEI scores that show aquatic life use attainment.

Over the last ten years, Ohio has used Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Trust Funds as the local match for 319 implementation grants to address abandoned mine drainage (AMD) causes of water quality impairment. While much progress has been made, state established performance measures are lacking to document progress towards the state target of a 30% reduction in AMD impaired waters by 2010. Thus the following recommended targets.

Table 1. 2005-2010 Targets, AMD Reduction

Target/Source/Indicator Level

Target 1: By 2010, 20 completed and federally approved Abandoned Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment (AMDAT) Plans for AMD impaired watersheds (Level 1).

Baseline (July 2004) (PDF 389kb): Six federally approved AMDATS for four watersheds, as shown below. Four additional AMDATs are underway in the Rush Creek headwaters, Moxahala Creek, Federal Valley and Leading Creek watersheds. A map of other mining impacted watersheds where local watershed partnerships are underway is available.

Target 2: By 2010, 10 AMD impaired watersheds have implemented some or all of the reclamation actions recommended in the endorsed AMDAT (Level 2).

Baseline: Six of the known AMD impaired watersheds have implemented reclamation actions recommended in the endorsed AMDAT (Level 2).

Target 3: By 2006, report annually on a comparison between acidity and pH concentrations upstream and downstream of AMD project sites and long-term monitoring stations, as compared to acidity and pH reference sites within the Western Allegheny Plateau Ecoregion (Level 6).

Baseline: Surface water acidity and pH concentrations are measured in all AMD impacted streams, in a sub-set of AMD remediation project sites, and at long-term monitoring sites up and downstream of project sites. However, the data is not systematically compiled, analyzed in relation to use attainment benchmarks, and reported.