Little Elk Run Biological Assessment Jefferson County, Pennsylvania

By: Elias J Heferle Water Pollution Biologist II

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Knox District Mining Office

January 2005

Introduction An assessment of the aquatic invertebrate community of Little Elk Run was competed by the Knox District Mining Office (Knox DMO) on March 13, 2003 to determine the impact that a deep mine discharge was having on the biological community of the stream before passive treatment implementation. Watershed Description Little Elk Run is located in McCalmont and Young Townships, Jefferson County and part of the Elk Run Watershed (Appendix A). Little Elk Run flows approximately 2.8 miles from its headwaters east of the town of Oliveburg and into Elk Run in the town of Harmony. Elk Run then flows approximately 1.7 miles to its confluence with the Mahoning Creek in the Borough of Punxsutawney. Watershed History Extensive deep mining of the Freeport coal seam occurred in the Elk Run Watershed during the early 1900s followed by surface mining during the latter half of the 1900s. Several discharges and seeps from abandoned mines degrade the water quality in the Elk Run Watershed. There are several active surface mining operations in the watershed today. Hedin Environmental and The EADS Group completed a Watershed Assessment and Restoration Plan for the Elk Run Watershed, in May of 2002. The project was funded by a 2000 DEP Growing Greener grant to the Borough of Punxsutawney for $90,000. The plan documented the effects that abandoned mine drainage (AMD) was having on the watershed (and also addressed stream rehabilitation, recreation and fishing enhancement, park and trail development, flood management and storm drainage). Twenty-four monitoring points, eleven of which were on Little Elk Run, were established by Hedin Environmental and sampled from April 2000 to June 2001 by the Knox DMO. Nine discharges were identified in the Little Elk Run Watershed, two of which comprise 90% of AMD pollution in the watershed (LERMD20 and LERMD5). The Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (BAMR) and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) sampled both macroinvertebrates and fish at three stations on Elk Creek and two stations on Little Elk Run. Macroinvertebrate and fish communities were shown to be negatively impacted by the decreased water quality contributed by the mine discharges. The plan recommended the construction of a treatment system on the LERMD20 discharge and continued water quality monitoring after in order to determine if the treatment system is meeting the established stream goals. During the assessment of the Elk Run Watershed, the Young Township Supervisors received a $377,249.55 2002 DEP Growing Greener grant to construct a passive treatment system at LERMD20 discharge and coordinated a GFCC (Government Financed Construction Project) partnership for preparation of the sit for the passive treatment system implementation. The project site preparation included the relocation of a high-pressure gas line, removal of several hundred feet of crop coal and construction of an access road. Completed in May 2004, the treatment system consists of two parallel

down-flow compost beds, an upflow limestone bed, settling pond and wetland. Water quality data indicate that the system is effectively treating the LERMD20 discharge, improving water quality downstream in Little Elk Run and Elk Run. Biological samples analyzed in this report were collected before the LERMD20 treatment system was constructed. Water Quality Fourteen monitoring points, consisting of nine discharges and five instream points, were established and sampled in the Little Elk Run Watershed from April 2000 to June 2001 by the Knox DMO and Hedin Environmental as part of the Elk Run Watershed Assessment and Restoration Plan (Appendix B). Upstream on Little Elk Run (LER20, LER15 and LER6), the stream exhibits good quality with a high pH, net alkalinity and metals below detection limits (Table 1). Downstream monitoring points (LER5 and LER1) exhibit a low pH, net acidity and elevated levels of iron and aluminum as a result of several AMD discharges in the watershed. Table 1: Little Elk Run: Instream Monitoring Point Water Quality.

Monitoring Alkalinity Acidity Iron Aluminum Sulfate Point pH (mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l)

LER20 6.7 34.9 0 <.3 <.5 77.7 LER15 6.6 31.5 0 <.3 0.6 78.7 LER6 6.6 29.2 0 <.3 <.5 91.4 LER5 3.9 3.4 74.6 5.5 4.4 252.8 LER1 4.5 5.6 28.1 2 2.2 149.1

Of the nine discharges identified and sampled in the Little Elk Run Watershed, LERMD20 and LERMD5 were determined to contribute the majority of AMD to the stream (Table 2). Table 2: Little Elk Run Discharges: Average Flow, Chemistry and Loadings. Monitoring Flow Alkalinity Acidity Iron Aluminum Sulfate Loading (lbs/day)

Point (GPM) pH (mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l) Acidity Iron AluminumULER30 25 3.5 0 49 1.7 2.3 98 17.5 0.8 0.9

LERMD26 4 3.4 0 105 2.9 9.2 309 8.4 0.2 0.7 LERMD25 10 4.3 6 32 0.3 3.3 215 2.9 0 0.4 LERMD20 123 2.9 0 233 15.4 11.4 628 343 24 16 LERMD14 2 3.2 0 121 4.3 9.5 205 3 0.1 0.2 LERMD6 5 4.9 67 39 1.7 3.9 187 2 0.2 0.4 LERMD5 117 3.4 0 80 2 6 317 105 3 8 LERMD4 2 7.6 237 0 0.3 0.5 77 -5.4 0 0 LERMD3 10 5.7 18 7 5.1 0.5 277 -1.2 0.6 0.1

The water quality of Little Elk Run downstream from the LERMD20 discharge (LER5) shows a dramatic decrease in pH (6.6 to 3.9), decrease in alkalinity (29.2 to 3.4), and

increases in acidity (0 to 74.6), iron (<0.3 to 5.5), aluminum (<0.5 to 4.4) and sulfate (91.4 to 252.8) when compared to the upstream sampling point (LER6) (Table 1). The mouth of Little Elk Run (LER1) also shows a low pH, net acidic character, with high levels of iron and aluminum due the combined effects of the LERMD20 and LERMD5 discharges. Elk Run upstream from its confluence with Little Elk Run (ER101) shows high pH, net alkaline water with low metal concentrations. After its confluence with Little Elk Run, the water quality in Elk Run (ER100) shows a slight decrease in pH and alkalinity and increase in both iron and aluminum (Table 3). Table 3: ER101 and ER100 Water Quality: Average Chemistry Upstream and Downstream of Little Elk Run.

Monitoring Alkalinity Acidity Iron Aluminum Sulfate Point pH (mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l) ER101 6.8 47 0 0.6 <.5 83.8 ER100 6.5 28 1 1 0.9 108.8

Biological Assessment A study of the macroinvertebrate communities completed in June 2001 as part of the Watershed Assessment and Restoration Plan for the Elk Run Watershed showed decreases in individuals and total taxa at the mouth of Little Elk Run when compared to the macroinvertebrate communities sampled at the headwaters of the stream. Decreases in individuals and total taxa were also observed in Elk Run downstream from its confluence with Little Elk Run. Sampling of the fish populations showed similar patterns. These decreases in the biological communities were attributed to the negative effects that the mine discharges were having on both the water quality and substrate of the stream. For this assessment, macroinvertebrates were collected at three locations in the Little Elk Run Watershed, including Little Elk Run upstream from the LERMD20 tributary (LER6), at the mouth of the LERMD20 tributary (downstream from the untreated discharge) and Little Elk Run downstream from the LERMD20 tributary (LER5) (Appendix B). Samples were collected at these locations in order to determine the impacts that the LERMD20 discharge was having on the macroinvertebrate community in Little Elk Run before a treatment system was constructed to remediate the discharge. At each location, samples were collected from representative riffle and run sections of the stream with a D-frame dip net, placed into 1.5 Liter containers and preserved with 95% ethanol. In the lab, preserved samples were rinsed with tap water and the invertebrates contained within the individual samples were sorted and identified to the genus level. (A complete list of the organisms identified at the three sampling locations can be found in Appendix C).

Three indices were used to evaluate the biological data at each site: Abundance, Taxa Richness, and % EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera). Abundance is the overall number of individual organisms found at each location. Taxa Richness represents the health of the aquatic community through its diversity, and increases with habitat diversity and water quality. The healthier the community, the greater the number of taxa found within the community. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera are considered to be sensitive to poor water quality conditions; therefore the presence of these organisms is generally an indicatory of good water quality. The higher the populations of these organisms, the more stable the site (Plafkin, et al., 1989). Macroinvertebrate samples collected at LER6 showed the greatest abundance, taxa richness and %EPT, when compared to the samples collected downstream at the mouth of the LERMD20 tributary and at LER5 (Table 4). The water quality samples collected at this site show a high pH, net alkalinity and metals below detection limit and this is reflected in the diverse macroinvertebrate community with a high percentage of EPT taxa (Table 1). Table 4: Macroinvertebrate Abundance, Taxa Richness and %EPT for Sampling Locations in Little Elk Run.

Location Abundance TR %EPT Little Elk Run Upstream (LER6) 36 12 72.2 Mouth of LERMD20 Tributary 0 0 0 Little Elk Run Downstream (LER5) 15 7 66.7

The macroinvertebrate samples collected at the mouth of the LERMD20 tributary showed that the stream was devoid of aquatic life (Table 4). Although a water quality sample was not collected at the mouth of this tributary, the high flow, low pH, acidic LERMD20 discharge, with very high concentration of both iron and aluminum creates an environment that the aquatic organisms cannot tolerate as indicated by the absence of macroinvertebrates. Macroinvertebrates collected at LER5 showed a decrease in abundance, taxa richness and % EPT when compared to the macroinvertebrates collected at LER6, the upstream station (Table 4). Although the %EPT comprised 66.7% of the macroinvertebrate community, only four species (represented by 16 individuals) made up this percentage; where as the %EPT at LER6 was represented by 8 different species (26 individuals). Water quality at LER5 exhibits a low pH and net acidity with high levels of iron and aluminum, due to the LERMD20 discharge entering upstream from this point (Table 1). The decrease in water quality and the presence of the iron and aluminum precipitate on the substrate at LER5 accounts for the depressed macroinvertebrate community. After the macroinvertebrate samples were collected in order to complete this assessment, a passive treatment system was constructed on Little Elk Run to treat the LERMD20 discharge. The system consists of two parallel down-flow compost beds, an upflow limestone bed, settling pond and wetland was placed online on May 12, 2004. Initial

water quality results have shown that the discharge from the treatment system is greatly improving the LERMD20 discharge, with a pH of 7.4, net alkalinity of 111 mg/l and 0.5 mg/l of iron and 0.1 mg/l of aluminum (Table 5). Downstream monitoring points also show significant improvements such as increased pH, net alkalinity and decreased levels of iron and aluminum. A follow up assessment is planned for the fall of 2005 in order to document improvements in the macroinvertebrate community that may have resulted in the Little Elk Creek Watershed from the treatment of the LERMD20 discharge. Table 5: Little Elk Run and Elk Run Water Quality Before and After LERMD20 Treatment System Installation.

Monitoring pH Net Acidity (mg/l) Iron (mg/l) Aluminum (mg/l) Point Before After Before After Before After Before After

LERMD20 2.9 7.4 233 -111 15 0.5 11 0.1 LER5 3.9 6.8 75 -73 5.5 1.6 4.4 0.2 LER1 4.5 6.5 28 -8 2 0.5 2.2 0.5 ER100 6.5 6.8 -25 -24 1 0.2 0.9 0.2

References Plafkin, J.L., M.T. Barbour, K.D. Porter, S.K. Gross, and R.M. Hughes. 1989. Rapid bioassessment protocols for use in streams and rivers: Benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water Regulations and Standards, Washington, D.C. EPA 440-4-89-001.

Appendix A

Elk Run and Little Elk Run Watershed Map

Appendix B

Little Elk Run Watershed Monitoring Points

Appendix C

Benthic Macroinvertebrates Collected in the Little Elk Run Watershed

Little Elk Run Unt. To Little Elk Run Below Upstream Unt Little Elk Run Unt. To Little Elk RunEPHEMEROPTERA (Mayflies) Heptageniidae Stenonema sp. 2 5 Ephemeridae Ephemera sp. 9 1 Litobrancha sp. 1 Ephemerellidae Drunella sp. 1 Attenella sp. 1 Oligoneuriidae Isonychia sp. 1 PLECOPTERA (Stoneflies) Perlidae Acroneuria sp. 1 Perlodidae Diploperla sp. 1 TRICHOPTERA (Caddisflies) Hydropsychidae Hydropsyche sp. 10 3 DIPTERA (Flies) Chironomidae 7 3 Ceratopogonidae Bezzia sp. 1 Tipulidae Tipula sp. 1 1 Pedicia sp. 1 Antocha sp. 1 TOTAL NUMBER TAXA 12 0 7TOTAL NUMBER INSECTS 36 0 15% Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera 72.2 0 66.7