The Neal Run Restoration Project has undergone several phases. Phase I involved the removal of 37, 608 tons of coal refuse and the installation of over 2500 feet of Oxidation Precipitation Channels (OPCs), also known as Terraced Iron Formations (TIFs). This project was completed in 2012 and resulted in low-PH iron removal. During the summer of 2018, an Auto-Flushing, Vertical Flow Pond (AFVFP) containing 715-tons of crushed limestone to generate alkalinity for metal removal and a 1/4-acre settling pond for the retention of metal precipitates was constructed. Phase III consisted of the construction of a second AFVFP that contains 1,850 tons of high calcium carbonate AASHTO #1 limestone. This AFVFP flushes every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday using a solar-powered Agri Drain Automatic Water Level Control Structure into OPC1. The heavily impacted water quaility from the discharge still requires additional treatment components.
| Sample Point |
Flow (gpm) |
pH (su) |
SC (uS/cm) |
Alk. (mg/L) |
Acidity (mg/L) |
Fe (mg/L) |
Mn (mg/L) |
Al (mg/L) |
SO4 (mg/L) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D2 | 10.9 | 2.8 | 6038 | 0 | 5030 | 943.6 | 15.7 | 430.0 | 6203 |
| D3 | 4.8 | 3.2 | 1287 | 0 | 502 | 55.0 | 6.7 | 40.0 | 1012 |
| RAW | 23.4 | 3.0 | 5560 | 0 | 4397 | 958.4 | 14.6 | 449.3 | 4803 |
| D7A | 15.5 | 2.7 | 5149 | 0 | 4080 | 575 | 22.5 | 347.9 | 4955 |
| OPC1-MID | 17.2 | 7.4 | 468 | 70 | -57 | 5.1 | 0.1 | 3.2 | 150 |
| SP | 14.5 | 2.8 | 6151 | 0 | 2425 | 295.8 | 10.3 | 235.7 | 3209 |
| OPC1 Effluent | 20.6 | 2.8 | 3116 | 0 | 1883 | 157.9 | 7.8 | 177.8 | 2560 |
For more information, go to https://www.datashed.org/project-neal-run-restoration-project