Date of Graduation

2002

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

Committee Chair

Joseph J. Donovan

Abstract

A total of 35 flooded underground-coal mines of the Pittsburgh coal of northwestern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania were evaluated using a detailed fluid mass balance (FMB) approach to estimate a yearly rate of apparent vertical infiltration (AVI) for calendar year 2000. Essential to the water budget approach in deep mine aquifers is the role of flow through intact perimeter barriers. In this study, two mines, Jamison and Odonnell, have been identified as ideal locations for modelling of an isotropic Kh using a water budget approach. Kh in the Jamison models ranged from 0.05 m/day (1993) to 0.13 m/day (1995) with median 0.089 m/day. Kh in the Odonnell models ranged from 0.03 m/day (2000) to 0.15 m/day (1992 and 1993) with median 0.082 m/day. The average of the 18 values is 0.091 m/day. The height of the aquifer was modeled as 17.1 m, equal to 1.8 m mining height and 15.2 m height of overlying caved zone. The range of values for Sy in year 2000 for flooding mines was 0.043 to 0.069 with mean 0.064, median 0.068, and standard deviation 0.009. Mines may be discriminated into two arbitrary groups based on percentage mine area deeper than 150 m below land surface (A150). The “shallow” mines group includes those with < 50% of their area at depths of 150 m more. The "deep" mines group includes those with >50% of their area at depths of 150 m more. "Shallow" mines display an inverse relationship between log AVI and overburden cover. There is poor correlation between log AVI and deep mines at 210 m depth.

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