Coal mining engineer discusses issues of concern

October 22, 2006 Filed Under: Coal Mining, Mining Services  

Mining coal in a prospective area north of Canton and east of Brereton may create 40 good-paying jobs and spin off up to 200 more jobs in support of the operation. To move the proposal forward, environmental issues must be addressed and satisfied.

One issue of concern is the watershed for Canton Lake. Most of the 1,085-acre site for which a permit for a surface coal mine is being sought lies within that watershed.

“I live here too. As a licensed professional engineer, I want to do it right so we do not have a problem,” says Greg Arnett, a Canton man and director of surface operations for Capital Resources Development Company of Chicago.

He notes the Environmental Protection Agency has rules on ponds and lakes created through excavation work and impoundments. For every acre of disturbed area, a pool of water must be able to store one-tenth of an acre of sediment. If 490 acres are disturbed, 49 acres of dirt must be held in the impoundment. That is a requirement to protect a watershed on a permanent basis, Arnett says.

Arnett explains pond sizes vary due to different drainage breaks. Ponds will be made where gullies exist now. Earthen dams will be built across valleys, so water does not run into creeks. Water will be piped into ponds to slow the rate of speed of the water, allowing sediment to sink to the bottom of ponds more easily.

Arnett says the company plans to exceed minimum standards for design criteria. For example, it will go a step further by terracing along the edges of impoundments to slow runoff from going over the sides as the water is brought to the lake level.

“Sediment drops out in different stages. That’s the key to the development of this,” Arnett says. “As dirty water goes in, clean water goes out.”

He stresses the structures will be designed so dam failures do not occur in future years. Soil for the earthen dams must be sampled and analyzed for properties needed. Soil must be four to eight inches thick and compacted. Various scenarios — including earthquakes — are considered to ensure the impoundments are secure.

After lakes are created, different types of grass are planted. The grass must be mowed each year and no trees allowed to grow to prevent erosion, Arnett says.

The site is projected to yield 4.25 million tons of coal over 10 years or so, depending on demand. About 300 acres are for support activities. Coal will be crushed to 2-inch pieces, screened and trucked out. The coal will not be cleaned, which would produce coal slurry and gob piles, he notes.

“The coal slurries people are used to seeing won’t exist at this site,” he stresses.

Arnett notes in addition to EPA requirements on water quality, three other agencies have standards to protect the public and ensure coal mines operate as designed. They are the federal Mining Safety and Health Administration, Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Water Resources and IDNR’s Office of Mines and Minerals.

A public hearing has been set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the Donaldson Community Center in Wallace Park, 250 S. Avenue D, Canton. Written comments may be submitted for another 10 days.

IDNR typically has 60 days to review comments from hearings, respond to questions and request modifications to permit applications. Arnett says a modified application could be filed in two months. Also, a bond is required. A decision on the permit could be issued in March, about a year from when the application was first filed.

The site has been characterized in the application. It is mostly dirt, sand, gravel and rock. The coal seam is about 4 1/2 feet thick through most of the site, with some variations. It runs from a depth of 45 feet on the east side to 65 feet heading west, with a few areas 70 feet deep, Arnett says.

Site development would not begin until next fall at the earliest. Production might begin in 2008 if markets can be found. The target market is state-of-the-art facilities that use a process called carbon sequestration. Such facilities are built to burn dirty coal without polluting the air, Arnett says.

He adds to haul the coal, a road may be built from the site to Illinois Route 78. It would run south of Brereton and handle 80,000-pound loads. Arnett says this seemed the best path to the highway after listening to concerns from officials from Canton and Orion townships. Steps are being taken to purchase land and obtain rights-of-way needed.

Semi trucks transporting the coal will be covered with tarp to prevent dust and coal from being blown off them. State routes are designed for 80,000-pound loads, Arnett notes.

Land must be reclaimed, or returned to its original level of productivity, within 10 years after it has been mined. Bond that must be posted is tapped if the operator defaults, so no taxes are used, Arnett says.

Water table levels vary from about four feet below the surface in some areas to nonexistent in other places. Underground water appears to flow in seasonal ways. “It’s never permanent when it comes to the water table,” Arnett says. He adds few wells are near the proposed site. If a well is negatively affected by coal mining, water will be provided and steps taken to re-establish quality water to the well. If necessary, a tank will be installed and water drawn from it until the water table is re-established.

Blasting will be conducted to break hard rock, but it will not shake houses like decades ago. Laws do not allow it. Should any foundation or wall of a building in the area be cracked as a result, the coal company must pay for it. But such damage should not occur, Arnett says.

Explosives experts place a certain amount of explosive powder in holes, and there is an 8-millisecond delay between each blast to reduce vibrations and noise. It is like the peaks of vibration and noise waves are cut down by the staggered blasts. Blasting may be conducted within 300 feet of buildings. “It’s a science all of itself,” Arnett says.

“Environmental issues must be looked at, but it is comforting to know more stringent laws are in place than 30 years ago to ensure the land is put back the way it was before mining,” says Mark Rothert, executive director of Spoon River Partnership for Economic Development.

“I’m excited about the spin-off jobs that will occur as well as the core jobs. It’s good jobs for hard-working people of Fulton County,” adds Rothert. “Like the ethanol project, these are jobs that fit our workforce as far as our demographic profile.”

Rothert notes after the state prison was built at Canton, the local economy benefited. A new Hy-Vee store was built and other businesses developed. With both a new coal mine and ethanol plant set to go into operation in the area, the “multiplier effect” on the economy will be significant. “That’s why I’m excited,” he says.