Lacy Abandoned Coal Mine Site Project

Mine Reclamation Complete

After more than a decade of collaboration and planning, the Lacy Coal Mine was reclaimed in 2009. The Lacy Site was an abandoned coal mine located in Martin County, two miles southeast of Shoals, Indiana, on the Hoosier. The site leaked acid mine drainage of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants into the environment. Contamination from the mine drainage was documented in surface waters two and a half miles away.

The State of Indiana, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Reclamation (IDNR-DOR), proposed a pilot project to evaluate the use of a sulfate reducing bioreactor system to address water quality concerns at the Lacy abandoned coal mine site under their Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) authorities, in concert with the Hoosier.

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) decision memorandum was approved by the Regional Forester on March 13, 2008. The environmental analysis conducted by the State of Indiana was approved.

IDNR-DOR developed and administered the contract for all construction on this project. Forest resource specialists collaborated with IDNR-DOR through the contract development process to maximize the benefit to all physical and biological resources.

Initial site clearing occurred in March 2008, and project construction began in the spring of 2009. All construction was performed by Rust Construction of Seymour, IN. IDNR-DOR and the contractor provided the Hoosier with a quality finished project that included benefits to a number of resources including: soil and water resource improvement, stream habitat improvement, terrestrial wildlife habitat improvement, nonnative invasive plant species control, geologic hazards managed, forest vegetation established, and inventory data acquired.

A second partner is involved with the continued monitoring of the project site by the Indiana Geological Survey. Initial results of the monitoring show the bioreactors have increased discharge pH from 2.5 to over 6.

Project Background

Unlike the vast majority of Forest Service projects, National Environmental Policy Act or “NEPA” analysis is not required for work conducted under CERCLA authority.

The treatability study is to run for 3 years. If the treatability study is successful, further work may be conducted at the site; more importantly, the applicability of this technology to address acid mine drainage in the Illinois basin coal fields will have been demonstrated.