| Located within the Slippery Rock Creek
headwaters, the Goff Station area is significantly impacted by abandoned
mine drainage from both surface and underground coal mining activities.
The receiving stream, Murrin Run, ofttimes is “milky” in color due to the
precipitation of aluminum hydroxide from the numerous abandoned mine discharges
that enter the stream. Murrin Run is in the Seaton Creek Subwatershed,
which has been given a high priority for restoration by the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania due to the impacts of abandoned mine drainage. The
listed causes of impairment (PADEP, 1998 303(d) List, State Water Plan:
20-C) are pH, other inorganics, and metals.
In addition, the site was predominately
wooded with the exception of one large pile of coal refuse and several
smaller piles of miscellaneous coal waste. Little to no vegetation
occurred on these piles and evidence of significant erosion was apparent.
These piles of coal refuse actually extended into Murrin Run, a tributary
of Seaton Creek and eventually Slippery Rock Creek. The piles
contained acid producing materials and sat well below the water table of
the neighboring stream bed.
The refuse located below the water table
remained inundated with water throughout most of the year. Exploratory
excavation revealed that the historic stream bed lay beneath the pile.
It can be presumed from these soil samples that the refuse was placed in
Murrin Run during active mining. This diverted the flow of Murrin
Run from its original course.
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