Paul Ziemkiewicz, PhD

Director, West Virginia Water Research Institute

30 Mar 11

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 1
•Water Management

•withdrawals

•Reuse

•Returned Frac Water/Produced Water

•Disposal Options

•Effects on Streams

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 2
Coal: AMD treatment plants: Regulated under CWA-NPDES

Active coal mines

Abandoned mines

Gas: Coal Bed Methane (CBM) 

Shale gas-Marcellus

abandoned wells

Need to quantify each source’s contribution to TDS

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 3
• Active mines in the Pittsburgh Basin are up to 10 square miles

• The seam is about six feet thick and about 80% of coal is removed

• the down dip sections are pumped to control water levels in the mines

•

• The water is treated to remove acidity and metals

• Resulting discharge can have high concentrations of sodium and sulfate

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 4
Water Research Institute West Virginia Water Research Institute 5

Pittsburgh Basin

Major AMD 

treatment plants
Water Research Institute West Virginia Water Research Institute 6

MODEL CONDITIONS

Target instream [TDS] 500 mg/L

Stream Q (cfs) 1500 cfs

Factor of safety 2.0

BASELINE CONDITIONS MODEL OUTPUT

Treatment discharge

Actual Pumping 

Rate Actual

Est. 

TDS allocation Pumping Rate

Plant Mine Operator to (gpm) (cfs) [TDS] mg/L (TPY)

% 

total (TPY) Q (cfs)

Q 

(gpm)

1 No. 1 Refuse ABC WH 1,500 3.3 5000 16,537 2.8% 10,568 2.1 1,065 

2 No. 2 Refuse ABC WH 250 0.6 4250 2,343 0.4% 1,497 0.4 178 

3 No. 1 Refuse DEF TM 1,800 4.0 3500 13,891 2.4% 8,877 2.6 1,278 

4 No. 2 Refuse DEF TM 1,100 2.4 3500 8,489 1.5% 5,425 1.6 781 
Water Research Institute West Virginia Water Research Institute 7

average maximum full pump 

observed observed capacity

Dunkard Ck 153,340 190,784 257,950 

Robinson Run (Mon Co.) 11,000 22,000 17,600 

Flaggy Meadows Run 12,205 34,166 47,300 

Indian Ck 12,975 30,008 115,500 

Paw Paw Ck 2,200 4,400 11,550 

Buffalo Ck 10,043 36,938 36,300 

Robinson Run (Marion Co.) 3,900 9,779 27,500 

Total 205,662 328,075 513,700 
West Virginia Water Research Institute 8

MonWQ.net

Samples 

every two 

weeks 

since July 

2009
Returned Frac Water Chemistry

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Returned frac 

water

RFW 4 RFW 5 RFW 3 RFW 2 RFW 1

TDS 189,000 104,000 38,700 12,610 8,800 

Cl 107,000 65,000 17,100 7,172 6,575 

Na 48,100 33,700 8,560 2,863 3,550 

Ca 22,200 12,800 1,640 1,749 319 

Mg 2,000 1,470 193 122 31 

Sr 2,970 1,440 301 nd nd

K 668 444 243 57 

SO4 49 414 28 71 99 

Ba 1,300 176 175 nd 27 

Fe 48 30 37 27 37 

pH 5.7 6.3 7.4 6.1 7.6 

TSS 519 570 99 220 44 

O&G 3 nd 5 49 5

Returned frac water 

chemistry from five 

Marcellus wells

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 10

RFW is predominantly Na, Ca, Cl
Returned frac 

water

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

Day 1 Day 5 Day 10 Day 20 Day 30

Ca Na Cl TDS Flow

TDS (mg/L)

Flow (bpd)

The flow back from an 

horizontal Marcellus 

well greatest initially 

(~ 5,000 barrels per 

day) 

It slows to about 10 

bpd after the first 

couple of weeks.

The initial flow back 

reflects injected water 

more while later flow 

back is more 

influenced by salts in 

the formation. 

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Salt concentrations increase 

as flow decreases
Relative TDS 

loads

Relative Loadings 

1 frac job

6 million gal* 1 UG mine

discharge 2.3 3,000 gpm

TDS 150,000 5,000 mg/L

TDS 753 33,000 tpy

ratio Frac/mine 44 1 

# units 613 14 

TDS 462,000 462,000 tpy

* assumes 20% RFW

This analysis compares 

the TDS loadings from 

large, treated coal mine 

discharges and 

Marcellus wells.

One large mine 

discharge generates as 

much TDS as 44 

Marcellus wells.

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Mines vs. Marcellus
 Underground injection

 Pre-treat then send to sewage treatment 

plant

 Evaporation/crystallization

 Recycle

 Illegal dumping

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Treatment 

options

Pre-treatment normally 

required to remove 

barium and strontium

Sulfate is normally 

added to precipitate 

insoluble

BaSO4 and SrSO4

That leaves substantial 

sulfate plus sodium and 

chloride in the STP’s 

effluent.

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Sewage Treatment Plant
RFW treatment facilities in 

Pennsylvania

These facilities add 

flocculating agents to 

RFW or produced 

water to precipitate 

hazardous ions, 

landfill the salts and 

discharge water to a 

stream. 

Treated brine is sold 

for winter deicing.

This process does not 

significantly lower the 

total salt content

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 15

Partial treatment 

and discharge
Treatment 

options

 State prosecutors charged a Greene County man 

Thursday with illegally dumping millions of gallons of 

Marcellus Shale wastewater in holes, mine shafts and 

waterways in a six-county region from 2003 to 2009.

 The drivers told the grand jury that the accused showed 

them how to leave water valves open at gas wells in 

order to allow production water to flow onto the ground 

and into nearby waterways. The drivers said this was 

typically done after dark or during heavy rains in order to 

conceal the illegal discharge. 

 ... directed them to dump residual wastewater left in the 

trucks at the end of the day down a drain at his business. 

The drain leads to Tom's Run, a tributary of Dunkard 

Creek. 

 It is also alleged that the accused directed waste 

products to be dumped into the Morris Run air shaft at 

the abandoned Blacksville No. 1 Mine along Morris Run 

Creek

Washington PA 

OBSERVER REPORTER:

Waste hauler accused 

of illegal dumping 

3/18/2011

By Tara Kinsell, Staff 

writer 

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 16

Illegal Dumping Charged
Stream 

Effects

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

7/28/2009

8/25/09

9/22/09

10/20/09

11/17/09

12/16/09

1/21/10

2/18/10

3/18/10

4/15/10

5/13/10

6/11/10

7/7/10

8/4/10

9/1/10

9/30/10

10/27/10

12/3/10

1/6/11

2/4/11

TDS (mg/L)

TDS Load (tpy x 1,000)

Na Ca Mg Cl SO4 alk TDS (mg/L)

During the wet 

season in both 2010 

and 2011 sodium and 

chloride loadings 

increased 

dramatically in the 

Youghiogheny River.

Since this took place 

during a period of 

high flows, it only 

accounted for a short 

period when [TDS] 

exceeded 500 mg/L

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Brine Disposal in the 

Youghiogheny River
DRY SEASON

AVGTDS=335,000 TPY

WET SEASON

AVGTDS=971,000 TPY

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Cl

Na

SO4

Mg

HCO3

Ca

SO4 Na

Mg

Ca

HCO3

Cl
Water Research Institute West Virginia University 19 Brine Mine water
Water Research Institute West Virginia University 20

Tygart Valley

Mon 89

West Fork

Mon 102 alk

Ca

Mg

SO4

Na

Cl

Mon 82 Mon 23

alk

Ca

Mg

SO4

Na

Cl
FLOW (CFS) TDS

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 21

1,919 

Yough

Ten Mile

Whitley

Dunkard

Cheat

Robinson

Deckers

Flaggy M

Indian

White D

Tygart V

West Fk

449,981 

Yough

Ten Mile

Whitley

Dunkard

Cheat

Robinson

Deckers

Flaggy M

Indian

White D

Tygart V

West Fk
SODIUM CHLORIDE

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73,945 

Yough

Ten Mile

Whitley

Dunkard

Cheat

Robinson

Deckers

Flaggy M

Indian

White D

Tygart V

West Fk

64,203 

Yough

Ten Mile

Whitley

Dunkard

Cheat

Robinson

Deckers

Flaggy M

Indian

White D

Tygart V

West Fk
MAGNESIUM SULFATE

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 23

133,562 

Yough

Ten Mile

Whitley

Dunkard

Cheat

Robinson

Deckers

Flaggy M

Indian

White D

Tygart V

West Fk

16,671 

Yough

Ten Mile

Whitley

Dunkard

Cheat

Robinson

Deckers

Flaggy M

Indian

White D

Tygart V

West Fk
Water Research Institute West Virginia University 24

2010 averages

M23

CH

DE

WF TV

M102

M89

DU

WH

M82

TE

YO
Water Research Institute West Virginia University 25

2010 averages

M23

M102

DU

YO

WH

M82

TE

WF TV

M89
Stream 

effects

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

RO

FM

IN

WF

DU

M89

M102

M82

CH

DE

M23

TV

WH

TE

YO

Average Cl/SO4 July 09 to June 10

Increasing mine water

The ratio to chloride 

to sulfate ions 

appears to distinguish 

coal mine discharge 

from brine.

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Increasing brine

Is that treated mine water or frac 

water in my stream?
Discharge 

Management

Controlling AMD plant 

discharges from the 

upper Monongahela 

basin during the dry 

season substantially 

reduced the TDS at mile 

82.

TDS remained below 

500 mg/L at both mile 

82 and mile 23 but 

concentrations and 

loads were about double 

during the dry season at 

mile 23

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 27

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

TDS (mg/L)

TDS Load (tpy x 1,000)

Na Ca Mg Cl SO4 alk mg/L

B

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

TDS (mg/L)

TDS Load (tpy x 1,000)

A

Monongahela River July 09 to Feb 11 @

A: mile 82 (Masontown) PA

B: mile 23 (Elizabeth) PA 
Quality 

control

Other than the Tygart 

Valley River, most 

charge balances over 

2010 were reasonably 

good

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Anion/cation charge 

balances

2010 avg (keq)

Site anion cation

charge 

balance

Dunkard Ck 2,132 2,061 3%

West Fork R 2,931 2,833 3%

Tenmile Ck 543 571 5%

Decker’s Ck 176 187 6%

Whiteley Ck 1,543 1,416 9%

Youghiogheny R 10,573 11,658 10%

Mon mile 15 29,402 32,932 11%

Mon mile 23 18,829 21,274 12%

Mon mile 102 7,072 8,098 14%

Mon mile 82 14,428 16,919 16%

Mon mile 89 7,854 9,283 17%

Cheat R 282 337 18%

Tygart Valley R 1,016 1,515 39%
 Our sampling has not identified a [TDS] in excess of 500 

mg/L since December 09

 [TDS] did not exceed 400 mg/L at Mile 82 in 2010

 [TDS] did not exceed 500 mg/L at Mile 23 in 2010

 The coal industry adjusts its discharge to stream flow by 

controlling its mine pumping rates

 There is evidence that brine disposal is also seasonal

 Managed discharge is effective

 Brine management and abandoned mines must be 

accounted for, otherwise assimilative capacity could be 

exhausted

 Mass balances are useful method for evaluating the 

effectiveness of TDS control options

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 29
 Brine chemistry is dominated by NaCl

 Treated coal mine drainage is mainly Na/Ca SO4

 The results indicate brine disposal in three PA 

streams

 TDS load in the Monongahela River (McKeesport 

PA) averaged 2,000,000 tpy

 Coal mine drainage accounts for between 250,000 

and 500,000 tons of TDS/year

 We have no comparable data for brine disposal or 

discharges from abandoned mines

Water Research Institute West Virginia University 30
Questions?

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