THE CONTRIBUTION OF MARY STOERTZ TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF ACID MINE DRAINAGE AND STREAM RESTORATION IN SE OHIO

During her years at Ohio University (1990-2007), Mary Stoertz contributed greatly to the advancement of acid mine drainage research, supported scientifically and morally the organization of watershed restoration groups, and connected university research to the needs of government agencies. This presentation focuses on her scientific contribution to the understanding of the production, transport, and fate in the environment of acid mine drainage products in SE Ohio. Some important findings of her research are: 1) the identification of acid mine drainage sources along several rivers in SE Ohio, 2) the development of a methodology to identify areas where subsidences are likely to occur in the areas of thin overburden overlying underground coal mines, 3) the role of lakes adjacent to coal spoil piles as sources of waters and the transport of acid mine drainage products, 4) the importance of the bottom lithology underlying coal spoil piles and their exchange of water with the pile materials, 5) the mechanisms of water infiltration and oxygen availability for the generation of acid mine drainage in coal spoil piles, 6) the isolation of aquatic communities due to the discharge of acid mine drainage sources into streams, and 7) many different assessment studies of sites affected by acid mine drainage before and after remediation. In addition, she investigated the hydrology of the Hocking River and the flooding frequency and associated hazard. Her motivation for all this productive research was first and always the improvement of human life and the conservation of our ecosystems, inspiring all of us around her.