Kennecott Energy Company: reclamation of an abandoned mine
Kennecott Energy Company (KEC) in the US carried out reclamation activities at the already abandoned Sequatchie Valley Coal mine in Tennessee, which came into the Group as part of a large acquisition in 1993. In addition to reclaiming the Sequatchie Valley mine site, KEC collaborated with state agencies to successfully reclaim another adjacent abandoned strip mine that had been affecting streams in the middle of Tennessee for decades.
KEC partnered with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and Department of Agriculture to develop and implement a programme using best management practices developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency to reclaim the site and reverse the water pollution problems.
The entire project was completed in only four months, with remarkable improvements of water quality in the affected streams reported only a few months after project completion. For example, iron loadings were reduced by 50 per cent and acid loadings by 100 per cent in a receiving stream adjacent to the abandoned mine.
"We are very pleased (Kennecott's) Sequatchie Valley Coal Corporation took action to improve water quality in Tennessee," said Paul E. Davis, Director of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation water pollution control division. "They took the lead to mitigate impacts on local streams, and their efforts were very successful."
These efforts were recognised by the State of Tennessee in presenting the 2003 Aquatic Resource Preservation Stewardship Award to KEC.
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