The Impacts on Water Quality From Placement of Coal Combustion Waste In Pennsylvania Coal Mines

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) study of 15 coal mines in Pennsylvania found that the state's program for placing coal combustion waste (CCW) in mines is failing, with 10 of the 15 sites showing groundwater or stream contamination. The report highlights severe pollutant levels at specific sites, such as the Ernest, McDermott, and Swamp Poodle mines, and calls for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) to implement strict safeguards, long-term monitoring, and enforceable regulations to protect human health and the environment.

• A study of 15 coal minefills under the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's (PADEP) Coal Ash Beneficial Use Program found that 10 sites had monitoring data indicating coal ash contaminated streams or groundwater. In three other sites, contamination occurred but could not be definitively linked to ash due to insufficient data, and only one site showed water quality improvement, though the duration of that improvement is unknown.
• Specific mine sites in Pennsylvania exhibit toxic levels of contamination exceeding federal drinking water standards. At the Ernest Mine, lead, cadmium, and chromium levels were 9.7, almost 15, and 2.4 times the standard, respectively. The McDermott Mine showed cadmium and selenium levels 76 and 36 times higher than standards, leading to the abandonment of a domestic water supply spring. At the Swamp Poodle Mine, arsenic reached 389 times the drinking water standard and cadmium reached 46 times the standard.
• The US EPA and the National Academies of Science (NAS) have warned that minefilling can degrade groundwater quality and threaten human health. The NAS identified essential safeguards missing from the Pennsylvania program, including adequate characterization of waste and sites, post-placement monitoring, isolation from water, and public participation.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). The Impacts on Water Quality From Placement of Coal Combustion Waste In Pennsylvania Coal Mines. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093426/Impacts_on_Water_Quality_from_Placement_of_Coal_Combustion_Waste_in_PA_Coal_Mines.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. The Impacts on Water Quality From Placement of Coal Combustion Waste In Pennsylvania Coal Mines. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093426/Impacts_on_Water_Quality_from_Placement_of_Coal_Combustion_Waste_in_PA_Coal_Mines.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=The Impacts on Water Quality From Placement of Coal Combustion Waste In Pennsylvania Coal Mines |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093426/Impacts_on_Water_Quality_from_Placement_of_Coal_Combustion_Waste_in_PA_Coal_Mines.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforcendimpacts, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{The Impacts on Water Quality From Placement of Coal Combustion Waste In Pennsylvania Coal Mines}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093426/Impacts_on_Water_Quality_from_Placement_of_Coal_Combustion_Waste_in_PA_Coal_Mines.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }