Beall High School Students on Acid Mine Drainage Field Trip November 1999

Beall High School Students on Acid Mine Drainage Field Trip November 1999 This field trip took students to the old mining town of Shallmar first where they saw some of the effects of Maryland's early mining activity - gob piles and acid mine drainage. A lime doser site in Kitzmiller was then visited followed by a look at a passive treatment site on Elk Lick Run. Joe Mills from the Bureau of MInes provided rich background and explanation of the problems and technology.

(83K) 640 x 480 The bottom of an active lime doser near Kitzmiller where calcium oxide is mixed with water to address very high acidity. Water was tested at this site and the interaction of water and calcium oxide was observed close up.
(87K) 640 x 480 These were some of the specimens collected in about 15 minutes of shocking. The fish were returned to the river little worse for the wear.

Catch of the day - a nice sized brown trout, a non-native fish first stocked in the USA in the 1800's, now spawning in this section of river.
(308K) 1280 x 1024 The dark area just over the roof of the shed is one of the gob piles located near Shallmar. These piles were accumulated before 1970's legislation required mining operations to address their effects on the environment.
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(79K) 640 x 480 AMD water running out of pipes at a passive doser site on Elk Lick Run. This water runs through limestone for treatment and the site needs less maintenance than an active doser.
(78K) 640 x 480 Students net fish for fish biologist Ken Pavol and his assistant near the confluence of the Savage and Potomac Rivers

The fish shocking crew looks for river critters in a section of river that was relatively devoid of aquatic life 10 years ago.
(80K) 640 x 480 Beall High students perform a pH test at Elk Lick Run. The water tested around 6 before treatment.
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(318K) 1280 x 1024 Students in front of the Shallmar coal town company store turn to look at the gob pile on the side of the mountain being pointed out by BOM's Joe Mills.

This page created on a Macintosh using PhotoPage by John A. Vink.

Fish shocking where the Savage River enters the Potomac River, in a spot that a decade ago had no fish, showed that a healthy river has resulted from the AMD abatement activities in the watershed.

(83K) 640 x 480	The bottom of an active lime doser near Kitzmiller where calcium oxide is mixed with water to address very high acidity. Water was tested at this site and the interaction of water and calcium oxide was observed close up.	(87K) 640 x 480	These were some of the specimens collected in about 15 minutes of shocking. The fish were returned to the river little worse for the wear.
Catch of the day - a nice sized brown trout, a non-native fish first stocked in the USA in the 1800's, now spawning in this section of river.	(308K) 1280 x 1024	The dark area just over the roof of the shed is one of the gob piles located near Shallmar. These piles were accumulated before 1970's legislation required mining operations to address their effects on the environment.	(81K) 640 x 480
(79K) 640 x 480	AMD water running out of pipes at a passive doser site on Elk Lick Run. This water runs through limestone for treatment and the site needs less maintenance than an active doser.	(78K) 640 x 480	Students net fish for fish biologist Ken Pavol and his assistant near the confluence of the Savage and Potomac Rivers
The fish shocking crew looks for river critters in a section of river that was relatively devoid of aquatic life 10 years ago.	(80K) 640 x 480	Beall High students perform a pH test at Elk Lick Run. The water tested around 6 before treatment.	(305K) 1280 x 1024
(318K) 1280 x 1024	Students in front of the Shallmar coal town company store turn to look at the gob pile on the side of the mountain being pointed out by BOM's Joe Mills.