Overview

The Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance is an organization dedicated to restoring the Shamokin Creek to a more natural state. What is Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)? AMD is the result of exposure of pyrite to water and oxygen. Pyrite is associated with coal deposits and past mining exposed to weathering, releasing iron, other metals and acid to ground and surface waters. When the mines were abandoned the water table rose, allowing the tainted water to reach the surface. Upon reaching the surface the iron converts to iron hydroxide (yellow boy), which settles on the bottom of the streams choking out most aquatic life. Today, miners and coal operators must comply with more strict government law and regulations, so little AMD results from active mines today. The AMD problem in the Shamokin Creek Watershed is almost exclusively from abandoned mines. There is no responsible party to clean up the polluted waters. The cleanup of abandoned mines thus falls to local citizens, businesses, and local, state, and federal governments. We need to take action right now to reduce AMD and treat as many of the sources of contamination to the watershed and it's waterways. AMD can be treated by active and passive methods, and the SCRA consults with experts to design appropriate treatments to reduce the acidity and remove metals from our water.