LONG-TERM MONITORING OF AMD AND MARCELLUS-RELATED PARAMETERS IN BEECH CREEK AND CLEARFIELD WATERSHEDS, PA

The Beech Creek and Clearfield area watersheds in central PA have a long history of coal mining, which resulted in a legacy of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) degradation of water and soil resources. This area is experiencing another wave of resource extraction related to Marcellus Shale gas-well drilling that started in 2008. Recent gas-well drilling has raised concerns among citizens and the science community of potential impact of resource extraction on quality of water resources and ecosystems. In the wake of Marcellus Shale drilling activities, Lock Haven University’s Geology program forged a partnership with several community-based organizations to monitor the quality of surface water and soil within these watersheds over a long-term basis. On average, a total of 20 samples have been collected monthly from Beech Creek watershed and Clearfield watersheds starting from 2010 and 2012, respectively for lab analysis. The parameters monitored included, but were not limited to, temperature, pH, TDS, Fe, Ba, Cl^-, and SO₄^-2, which were determined using HACH DR6000 Spectrophotometer and HACH multi-parameter probes. These parameters were chosen due to their association to both AMD and Marcellus Shale drilling activities.

Over the years of the study, there have been multiple streams with concentrations that warranted alarm and potential for further investigations. The pH values for Stoney Run within the Clearfield Watersheds were consistently the lowest of all streams in both watersheds with a range of 3.2 to 6.5. The samples collected from the Beech Creek at Monument in Beech Creek watershed showed the greatest variations in TDS, Fe, Ba, and SO₄^-2 values. The values of Ba at three locations in Clearfield watersheds, namely Lower Trout Run, Medix Run, and Stoney Run increased from 10 mg/L in 2014 to 19 mg/L in 2016. The reason for the observed increase in Ba concentrations is not fully known, and may be a subject to further investigation.