Coastal, River, & Wetland Restoration
- Kettle Creek Section 206 Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Project
the challenge The Kettle Creek watershed encompasses 244 square miles in Clinton, Potter, and Tioga counties in north-central Pennsylvania. Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) has severely impacted this highly valued trout fishery such that the lower six miles of Kettle Creek and its major tributary, Twomile Run, which lie within the boundaries of the Sproul State Forest, are devoid of aquatic life. The watershed area has been extensively mined, both above and below ground, creating over 500 acres of disturbed upslope terrestrial habitat that generate acidity in a self-perpetuating cycle. The objective of this project was to select surface reclamation measures to minimize surface water infiltration into the abandoned mines and design treatment systems to neutralize acid discharges at the source.
the interdisciplinary approachThe Bioengineering Group, together with team subcontractors, first conducted a feasibility study to determine the most cost effective methods of reducing the impact of acid mine drainage on the watershed. The scope of work included extensive field data gathering, the development of GIS site data summaries, the development of conceptual design alternatives and cost estimates, and an incremental analysis of habitat benefits. The outcome of this effort was the conclusion that a suite of solutions, including regrading for positive drainage, surface reclamation, and the use of passive treatment systems such as limestone channels, anoxic limestone drains, vertical flow wetlands, sulfate reducing bacteria beds, and in-stream treatment cells afforded the most cost effective solution with the highest habitat outputs.
Following review and approval of the conceptual design by Trout Unlimited, the project's non-federal sponsor, detailed construction plans were developed for the various solutions, specifications were prepared using SPECSINTACT, and a detailed MCACES cost estimate was developed. In addition, an aerial survey was conducted for the purpose of developing required topographic maps, and additional soil and water quality data were collected to support the design effort.
the resultsThe project provides for the reclamation of over 100 acres of abandoned mine land and the passive treatment of over 30 individual acid mine discharges. The solutions require minimal maintenance, and the wetland treatment cells themselves serve as beneficial habitat. Most importantly the project restores water quality and trout habitat in approximately 30 stream miles within the lower Kettle Creek watershed.