Using Aquaculture as a Post-mining Land Use in West Virginia

Abstract

Using aquaculture as a post-mining land use has resulted in financial savings in site reclamation, increased positive media attention for coal companies, and new biosecure water sources for commercial aquaculture operations in the West Virginia coal region. Large underground coal mines in Appalachia have created numerous gravity flow sources of water. These mine water sources are often nearly ideal in temperature, alkalinity, and pH for trout and have the additional value of being devoid of any serious fish pathogens. At one site, modifying the postmining land use permit to allow the water flowing from the portal of a closed mine to be used to produce commercial rainbow trout for the recreational market reduced site reclamation costs by nearly $450,000 (US). At another site, an acid mine water treatment plant was converted into a quality public fishing park with healthy warm water species (channel catfish, largemouth bass, and bluegill sunfish). The county park is now being used for educational and recreational purposes to the benefit of the whole community.

The Development of Sustainable Saltwater-Based Food Production Systems: A Review of Established and Novel Concepts

“…Due to the on-land and recirculatory nature of RAS, the potential for fish escapes is extremely low and 90%-99% of water is recycled. They can be located on land unsuitable for other food production methods, in urban areas or close to markets Contaminants, parasites, and diseases can be removed or treated effectively through sterilization of the reused water and all wastes can be concentrated and treated or used as an input to other production systems (e.g., agricultural fertilizer or methane generation) [2,88,89,[100][101][102][103][104]. RASs can also be located away from water bodies, further reducing the potential for fish escapes to the environment, and allowing for the culture of faster-growing fish that have been selectively bred or genetically modified without the worry of potential biological invasion [2].…”

“…RAS are flexible. Due to this low water requirement, RASs can be located on land unsuitable for other food production methods (e.g., deserts, post-mining lands, urban areas) and/or close to markets, which results in local employment and revenue opportunities and reduced shipping and transportation costs [2,[102][103][104]. They improve opportunities for waste management, nutrient recycling, and biological pollution control.…”

Evaluating Alternate Post-Mining Land-Uses: A Review

“…From Miller (2008), benefits such as financial savings in site reclamation, increased positive media attention and new biosecure water sources for commercial aquaculture operations in the region were some of the major benefits highlighted by the study. Indeed, different post-mining land-uses have been chosen and practiced in many mines around the world.…”

“…Some major uses of reclaimed mine lands include:  Pasture, hayland, recreational areas, wildlife habitat, wetlands, fish ponds/farm, bricks and blocks making and swimming pools (Cao, 2007;Alexander, 1996);  Agriculture and forestry as dominant post-mining land-uses (Miao & Marrs, 2000);  Aquaculture as reported by Miller (2008) for West Virginia.…”

Sustainable Post-Mining Land Use: Are Closed Metal Mines Abandoned or Re-Used Space?

“…Some post-mining sites were also important places for public (non-commercial) outdoor activities, such as birdwatching and scuba diving. In general, there is a growing interest in Europe and elsewhere to utilize open-pit mines for various purposes, such as aquaculture, aquatic sports and other recreation [35,47,[121][122][123][124][125].…”