Stop Mountain Top Removal!
If Lexington residents think they aren’t directly affected
by the environmental hazards of mining in eastern Kentucky,
they are wrong. The Kentucky River is Lexington’s water
source, and you might be surprised to learn that the river’s
currently muddy appearance is not its natural state. Before
World War II, the Kentucky River was usually clear for most
of the year.[1]
What has caused all that mud to collect in the Kentucky
River? Sediment pollution from Mountain Top Removal
mining. Mountain Top Removal (MTR) is a form of mining in
which the top of a mountain is literally bull-dozed off so
that miners can reach underground coal seams. The top layers
of soil, rock, and vegetation are usually blasted off with
explosives, and then dumped into the closest valley. These
valleys are the headwaters of our streams and rivers:
- The major pollutant to the eastern waters that flow into
central Kentucky is coal mining that dumps dirt and rock
directly into our headwaters and turns our rivers brown
with mud.[2]
- So much vegetation is cleared off mountain tops in MTR
mining, destroying plants that normally absorb hundreds
of gallons of water each year. Even on reclaimed mine sites,
it is very hard to get anything to grow in the soil left
after a mining operation. As a result, rain runs off mountains
much faster, causing violent flash floods in eastern Kentucky.
The floods destroy homes and lives, costing taxpayers millions
for cleanups.[3]
- Sediment pollution in the Kentucky River has the largest-scale
impact on the river as it destroys the ecosystem of the
river.3 Insects and plants thrive in the crevices between
rocks in clear-running streams. When dirt fills in the spaces
between these small pebbles it destroys their habitat. These
small creatures die and so do the larger fish that feed
on them.
- The use of explosives in MTR mining sends shock waves
that shake homes, crack foundations and destroy water wells.
Thousands of families have had their homes and drinking
water sources damaged. Aquifers that provide natural sources
of drinking water are eliminated or damaged by blasting.[4]
- More than 724 miles of Kentucky streams have already
been destroyed by MTR. More than 150 square miles of mountains
have been flattened. More than 1,200 miles of streams have
been impacted by valley fills between 1985-2001.[5] Yet
state and federal enforcement agencies continue to grant
MTR permits to mining companies.
- The destruction caused by Mountain Top Removal mining
is not getting better. Without future restrictions on mountaintop
removal, these mining operations will eliminate a total
of 2,200 square miles of Appalachian forests (6.8%) by 2012.
[1] Dr. Wilford Bladen, retired UK professor and author of
The Geography of Kentucky
[2] According to the 2002 303(d) “List of Impaired
Waters,” issued by the KY Division of Water Environmental
[3] Environmental Geographer Dr. Alice Jones, at Eastern
Kentucky University
[4] “Mountaintop Removal: Bad Water, Bad Jobs, Bad
Idea,” Kentuckians For The Commonwealth handout
[5] US Federal Environmental Impact Study
Click here to go back...
|
