The state has ordered bankrupt LTV Steel Co. to come up with a plan to continue treating more than 30 million gallons of acid mine drainage a day from three closed mines that could cause "devastating" environmental problems in the Youghiogheny, Monongahela and Allegheny rivers.
The company's bankruptcy plan contains only enough money to continue treatment of the acid mine drainage through September, after which it could flow untreated into the rivers, killing fish and affecting public water supplies and recreational use of the rivers.
The Department of Environmental Protection administrative order issued yesterday also requires LTV to complete environmental cleanups at its Pittsburgh Coke Works in Hazelwood; Midland Steel Co. and East Mills Disposal Area in Midland, and the Aliquippa Works and Black's Run and Crows island disposal areas in Beaver County.
The order was precipitated by a recent bankruptcy court order approving the Ohio steelmaker's motion to liquidate its assets and terminate all of its business activities.
"We hope LTV will address its environmental obligations at its Pennsylvania facilities to a greater extent than its liquidation plan proposes," said Charles Duritsa, DEP's regional director.
Duritsa said the DEP will make every effort to ensure that LTV's compliance with the orders does not interfere with LTV's funding of retiree benefits.
Mike Tomasch, a LTV spokesman, said the company hasn't had a chance to fully review the DEP's administrative order, which it received yesterday afternoon.
"There will be a great many parties exerting claims on LTV, but there will be a very limited estate," Tomasch said. "We have to satisfy the banks, which are preferred creditors, and a great many others. I don't know the priority of the DEP's claims."
The bankruptcy court approved LTV's plan to allocate $20 million to cover all its environmental liabilities in several states.
"We're saying $20 million for all of LTV's environmental liabilities in every state isn't going to cut it," said Betsy Mallison, a DEP spokeswoman. "If treatment of the acid mine drainage stops, it would be devastating to the waterways. We want LTV to come up with a way to continue the treatment."
If LTV doesn't come up with more money, the state would be forced to pay for the continuing cleanup and treatment of LTV's environmental liabilities.
At each of three underground mines, groundwater accumulates in the underground mines to form mine pools. The water is polluted with acid and dissolved metals. If allowed to rise unchecked, the pressure of these pools can cause sudden and intense breakouts of mine drainage.
In order to prevent such breakouts, LTV has continuously pumped and treated mine water from each mine pool at a cost of about $2 million a year.
Under the approved liquidation plan, LTV would discontinue operating these pumping and treatment facilities after Sept. 30. It would take about six months following the cessation of pumping activities for the mine pools in each mine to reach the point where they will break out.
Mallison said LTV has been pumping and treating about 9 million gallons of acid mine water a day since 1982 from its closed Banning Mine in Rostraver and South Huntingdon, Westmoreland County, and discharging the treated water into a tributary of the Youghiogheny River near West Newton.
"If we had a breakout at various locations around West Newton, basements in the town would be flooded and the Youghiogheny would run orange with mine acid, affecting recreation and public water supplies down river," Mallison said.
Since 1998, LTV has pumped and treated about 1.5 million gallons a day from its Clyde Mine in East Bethlehem, Washington County, and discharged the water into Ten Mile Creek, a tributary of the Monongahela River.
The company has pumped and treated 20 million gallons a day since 1998 from its Russelton Mine in West Deer, and discharged the treated water into Danson Run, a tributary of Deer Creek.
If pumping were to stop, Mallison said, acid mine water would drain into Bull Creek and Little Deer Creek and then into the Allegheny River.
