Hardly anyone would dispute that when mining companies clean coal, it leads to a lot of dirty water. But does that waste eventually leach through the ground to taint drinking water supplies?
Three years ago, legislators in the mining state of West Virginia commissioned a $220,000 study to explore that question. Researchers sought to figure out whether a public health risk is created by the coal wastewater, or “coal slurry,” that results when companies clean coal to make it burn more efficiently.
Their conclusion: It’s still anyone’s guess.
The Associated Press reports reports that scientists explained that they lack technology to trace where coal slurry has migrated. They also said their efforts were frustrated by inconsistent wastewater sampling.
That means debate will continue to rage over the estimated 70 million to 90 million gallons of coal-cleaning wastewater produced annually.
The coal industry argues that the decades-old practice of injecting water left behind from coal-cleaning into underground mines is safe because all the waste remains in the mine. Critics, however, caution that the earth can shift and crack, allowing the liquid to migrate into drinking water supplies.
Hundreds of southern West Virginia residents have sued coal companies, claiming that slurry poisoned their wells and made them sick. State Sen. Jeff Kessler (D-Marshall) said the practice should be banned if it can’t be proven to be safe.
“We shouldn’t be playing Russian roulette with public health,” he said.
