What is it Wednesday: February 19, 2020

Can you identify what's in this photo?

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

February 19, 2020. 

And the answer is....

This is a spring polluted by abandoned coal mine drainage.

Lutherlyn’s property includes part of an abandoned coal mine whose entrance tunnels, which ran horizontally into the hillside, have long since collapsed. For many years this caused no problems, until orange water started gushing out of the ground near the old mine entrance in the 1980’s.

When water collects underground in abandoned coal mines, it sometimes dissolves minerals from those mines into the water. One of the minerals often found alongside coal in mines is iron sulfide, also known as pyrite or fool’s gold. When the water seeps out of the mine, a chemical reaction happens between the water, the minerals dissolved in it, and the oxygen in the air. That reaction consumes all of the oxygen in the water and creates sulfuric acid and iron hydroxide. The iron hydroxide is the orange sediment visible in the water (sometimes called “yellowboy”). 

Low oxygen, high acidity, and thick iron sediment make it impossible for aquatic animals to survive in such water.

Luckily, Lutherlyn has been able to treat this polluted water with a passive wetland treatment system. 

First, the water flows into a settling pond, either directly from the mine through a pipe, or from streams created by springs like the one pictured. Collecting the water in a large still pond allows much of the sediment to settle and drop out of the water before it flows into the next part of the treatment system.

After the settling pond, the water flows over a slope lined with limestone, known as a limestone cascade. Here the water gets churned up as it falls down the slope over the stones, which add oxygen to the water. The limestone, which is alkaline – the opposite of acidic – reduces the acidity of the water.

After the limestone cascade the water meanders through a wetland filled with plants like cattails, which are natural filters. These continue to remove excess iron and other minerals from the water as it flows slowly through the wetland.

Finally, the water exits the wetland and joins the Semiconon Creek, almost as clean as the unpolluted stream water. Treating the polluted mine water with this system made it possible for the Semiconon Creek to be removed from the list of impaired waters in Pennsylvania in 2008. 

A story of pollution and damage to the earth becomes a story of healing and restoration. This site also provides a great opportunity for LEEP to teach students and others about water quality testing, the chemistry of abandoned mine pollution, and passive water treatment systems.

To learn how LEEP can help you discover more about ways we can care for the earth and even help heal its wounds, through school field trips, summer camp, Saturday Safaris and more, check out www.Lutherlyn.com/ee. Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!