The West Ferris Wheel site is located on Little Laurel Run about 1/4 mile from the Klondike system and downslope from the Ferris Wheel Revegetation area.. It has 2 large acid discharges and one smaller one.
Discharge 32R3 averages 70 gal/min with pH 3.1, iron 14 mg/L, aluminum 1.1 mg/L and acidity 117 mg/L. Discharge 32R4 averages 90 gal/min with pH 3.3, iron 6.7 mg/L, aluminum 7.5 mg/L and acidity 113 mg/L. Discharge 32R5 averaged 22 gpm with pH 3.4, 1.9 mg/L iron, 13 mg/L aluminum and 112 mg/L acidity.
In 2008 we received a grant from USEPA 319 funds for design and permitting of treatment systems for the discharges. The design was completed by Alderrun Engineering in 2010 and permits are largely obtained. In 2012 and 2013 we received EPA 319 grants totaling $935,325 for construction. After bidding construction in 2013, we applied for and received an additional $66,000 from the US Office of Surface Mining and awarded the contract to Krieger Excavating. Construction started in early 2015.
Passive treatment ponds were completed in September 2016 to treat the 32R4 and 32R5 discharges. System 1 uses a vertical flow pond, 2 settling ponds and a wetland to treat discharge 32R5. System 2 uses a vertical flow pond, 3 settling ponds, a limestone bed and 2 wetlands to treat the stream that fed discharge 32R4. Because of permitting problems, the 32R3 flow could not be treated. A revised design has been developed and funds obtained to build this system. Systems 1 and 2 are releasing net alkaline water with low metal contents.
Iron mound feeding discharge 32R3. Seepage area at W Ferris site.