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Sep. 30, 2010
The Maryland Department of the Environment reported this week that it has made a final determination on the discharge permit application by Maryland Energy Resources LLC for the proposed underground coal mine along Durst Road near Grantsville.
The department published a tentative permit determination on April 15 and conducted a public hearing regarding the proposed draft permit on May 19.
After considering all comments received either in writing or through oral testimony, the department made the final determination to issue the permit with several changes to the tentative determination.
The permittee will be required to include alternate test species in the biomonitoring study plan that also reflects the biological nature of endangered species, including but not limited to rainbow trout and stonefly.
Temperatures will be required to be monitored 24 hours per day between May 15 and Sept. 30, and sulfate will be required to be monitored weekly.
A special condition of the permit has been revised to clarify the permittee’s responsibility to comply with all state water quality standards.
The permittee will also be required to perform a feasibility study considering potential options for implementation of real-time reporting of effluent flow volume, conductivity, temperature, and pH.
In addition, a plan will be required for addressing identification of and response to the potential occurrence of acid mine drainage seeps.
