Murrysville council hears pitch for acid-mine remediation project

Murrysville and Export have the unfortunate distinction of being home to two of the largest mine water sources in the Turtle Creek Watershed. That is not through any fault of their own.

Long-abandoned mine activity, combined with the natural flow of stormwater, has resulted in the slow leakage of various chemical elements over the years. And its location in the upper part of the watershed means it is carrying those elements downstream and affecting aquatic life along the way.

Representatives from Civil & Environmental Consultants have been working with the Lyons Run Watershed Association on an idea to fix it, but it is only in the conceptual stage and it comes with a hefty price tag.

“We’re proposing a remediation project that also includes playgrounds and a recreation area, east of downtown Export at the borough’s property along Borland Farm Road,” said CEC project manager Timothy Denicola.

The project would be an automated treatment system that precipitates the elements from acid-mine drainage, cleans the water and deposits it back into the stream, pumping the leftover sludge back into the mine.

“We’d ideally like to have the Westmoreland Heritage Trail run past the parcel, where playgrounds would be located west of the treatment area,” Denicola said.

The treatment plant would be fenced, and the property would include parking both for playground users and for the small staff who would monitor the plant and perform maintenance.

Denicola suggested that treated water could be used to create a recreational fishing area on the site.

There is a sizable stumbling block — the price, which would run between $5 million and $10 million, Denicola said. That does not include the ongoing operational cost of roughly $200,000 per year.

“I can’t object to this, other than the funding,” Murrysville Councilman Carl Stepanovich said. “Where’s that going to come from?”

Denicola said there are a number of grants and potential funding sources to help with construction and operational costs. That could include $245 million in federal funding that will be funneled to Pennsylvania as part of the federal infrastructure bill, specifically for mine-related projects.

Denicola said a group effort with multiple partners would be the ideal scenario.

“We’ve reached out to Export and another Turtle Creek watershed group,” he said. “The best partnership would include the (Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection), because they have the resources to operate and maintain this type of system. If we could come to the DEP with an offer of collaboration, they could work with us and try to make this come to fruition.”

If it were to be built and begin operating, Denicola estimated the plant would produce a little more than 700,000 gallons per year of treated sludge, which would be pumped back into the mine.