A.T. Massey Coal Co. subsidiary Martin County Coal Corp., faces citations from the Kentucky Natural Resources Protection Cabinet and a federal investigation following the accidental discharge of more than 210 million gallons of coal slurry from a 72-acre refuse impoundment near Inez, Ky.
The slurry flowed via two creeks into the Big Sandy River and from there to the Ohio River, devastating wildlife and disrupting municipal water systems on the way.
The operator said more than 250 workers from Martin County Coal and various contractors worked around the clock to clean up the spill for weeks after the Oct. 11 event. They used approximately 150 pieces of heavy equipment, including vacuum and water trucks, backhoes, bulldozers, guzzler trucks, loaders, and Mud Cat dredgers. Martin County Coal and its contractors stationed 38 pumps along the clean up site.
Excerpted from COAL AGE Magazine