Operation Scarlift
Operation Scarlift (also known as Project 500 or The Bond Issue Program
Background
On May 16, 1967, voters in Pennsylvania approved a $500 million
Operation Scarlift is so-named because of its mission to remove the "scars" left by historical mining activities in Pennsylvania.[4]
Operations
The purpose of Operation Scarlift was to remedy the environmental damage that historic
The actions taken by Operation Scarlift used a total of $141,000,000.
Operation Scarlift was first administered by the Department of Mines and Mineral Industries. Later, that role passed to the Pennsylvania Department Environmental Resources (now known as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection).[1] Operation Scarlift became inactive in the 1970s after using up all the money provided by its revenue bond.[5]
Stream pollution remedies
Operation Scarlift had two main methods for remedying stream pollution by acid mine drainage. These methods were source correction and treatment. Source correction methods in deep mines included deep mine sealing and reducing the flow of surface water into deep mines. The operation also carried out various source correction procedures on
Aftermath
While Operation Scarlift was underway, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection periodically created updates on the status of the operation. These updates were known as Bond Issue Report and the last one was published in 1990. It serves as a historical summary of the operation's work.[7]
Operation Scarlift has been described as achieving "limited success" with acid mine drainage abatement.[6] Despite being several decades old, the information in the reports produced by Operation Scarlift "still provides much valuable background information for groups assessing their watershed", as described by the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Clearinghouse.[2] A number of the reports on mining-impacted watersheds "remain the best descriptions and outlines of the AMD problems in the watersheds".[1] The reports were scanned and digitized in the 2000s.[2]
See also
- Environmental impact of mining
- Quakake Tunnel - subject of an Operation Scarlift report
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Operation Scarlift and Mine Reclamation in Pennsylvania, retrieved April 4, 2015
- ^ a b c d e f Abandoned Mine Reclamation Clearinghouse (2005), Operation Scarlift Reports, retrieved April 4, 2015
- ^ a b c d Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers, History of Abandoned Mine Reclamation in Pennsylvania (PDF), p. 4, archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2014, retrieved April 4, 2015
- ^ a b c C.H. McConnell; Donald E. Fowler; Andrew E. Friedrich (1976), Operation Scarlift – Mine Drainage Abatement (PDF), pp. 9, 14, 18, 22, 24, retrieved April 4, 2015
- ^ ISBN 9780309095242, retrieved April 4, 2015)
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ a b Abandoned Mine Reclamation Problems: Successes, Problems and Lessons learned, retrieved April 4, 2015
- ^ Bond Issue Report – 1990, retrieved April 4, 2015