The Morris Run Active Treatment Plant will collect abandoned mine drainage water and provide treatment using a high-density sludge process. Treated water will be returned to local tributaries of the Tioga River and mitigate existing water quality impairments.

An Impacted Watershed

The Tioga River Watershed is significantly impacted by five abandoned mine discharges. The discharges have rendered sections of the streams they discharge to and 22 miles of the Tioga River and several tributaries fishless, and impact the operations and water quality of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Tioga Reservoir. Improved water quality at Tioga Lake could allow for low-flow augmentation management during drought periods for Tioga River users in Pennsylvania and Southern New York.

Treatment Facility Solution

Kleinfelder is in the process of designing more than eight miles of gravity sewer and force mains and five separate pump stations to convey water to the active treatment plant site. At the treatment plant site, four mixing tanks and two 112-foot diameter clarifiers are planned to provide acid neutralization and metals precipitation. Sludge generated from the process will be pumped to injection wells one mile north of the treatment facility and treated water will be returned to local streams.

Once completed, the Morris Run Active Treatment Plant will include five discharges with a maximum flow of 15 million gallons per day, potentially making it one of the largest abandoned mine discharge plants in the world.

Project Results

This project is currently still in the design phase. The goal of the project is to restore the ecological habitat and fish populations of the Tioga River and Tioga Lake. Among the services contributing to this goal, Kleinfelder provided wastewater treatment design, environmental permitting, geotechnical services, and public engagement.

Project Details

Location:
Morris Run, PA
Owner:
Susquehanna River Basin Commission