COAL WASTE DAMS

Coal must be washed of impurities before being shipped to market. Then comes the problem of what do do with all the dirty wash water. The traditional solution has been to build slurry ponds to allow the water to stand while the coal waste particles settle to the bottom. Coal companies use a valley or hollow to build such ponds because then they only have to construct one side -- that's where the coal waste dam comes into play. These ponds can often exist for decades before they are filled. The dam itself functions as a filter for the water, and cleans it as it slowly passes through and on into the stream. Over the years the dam grows taller, reaching several hundred feet by the end of its life. The amount of water behind these dams is enormous -- hundreds of millions of gallons. There are over 200 coal waste dams in West Virginia, more than any other state.

Coal waste dams and impoundments are now strictly regulated by state and federal law to ensure that they are constructed properly and inspected regularly. Still, residents who happen to live below or downstream from one of these dams have a reason to be concerned. In southern West Virginia, no one will ever forget the tragedy of Buffalo Creek in 1972, when a coal waste dam collapsed, sending 132 million gallons of black sludge and water down Buffalo Creek hollow. In a matter of minutes the 20 foot wall of sludge water literally bulldozed everything in its path for 15 miles through the narrow hollow. When it was over, 125 people were dead, 1100 injured, and over 4000 left homeless. Nearly every home and vehicle was destroyed in the dozen or so small communities in the hollow.

But mining engineers and coal company officials give assurance that modern dams are not built the way the Buffalo Creek dam was. In the early days many dams were simply built on top of older waste impoundments instead of solid ground, and drain pipes to prevent water from rising were often missing, allowing the dam to become saturated.

However, today's impoundment are typically much larger than the one at Buffalo Creek -- some as much as 40 times larger. And although there have been no more disasters comparable to Buffalo Creek, the problems have not been completely eliminated. There have been five dam failures in West Virginia since 1977, and coal companies have been cited an average of 17 times per year for dam-related problems. Even if no lives are lost by these smaller accidents, the black sludge pollutes streams, kills fish, and damages property.

An inspector from the West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection summed up the problem by saying that "there's no other efficient way to get rid of the sludge. If we want coal in this area, it's a necessary evil." Twelve-year old Arley Johnson witnessed some of that "necessary evil" first hand as he and his family, narrowly escaped the raging waters of the Buffalo Creek flood by climbing the hillside. "From the hill, you could see that water billowing over the banks, all muddy and black with coal, and watch the houses crumble like matchsticks," remembered Johnson as he spoke before the West Virginia Legislature twenty five years later. He is now a state legislator and wants to make West Virginia a "shining example of a place where the people are well-served by their government." Johnson, as most West Virginians, is not against coal mining. Coal has been and will continue to be a vital part of the state's economy and livelihood. But, as Johnson told the Legislature on the anniversary of the Buffalo Creek disaster, "heavy-handed special interest groups" can often overlook what is best for the health and welfare of the citizens of the state.