Mine Water Treatment Plant Uses Zero Liquid Waste Process

Veolia Water, the global leader in water and wastewater services and technologies, has successfully commissioned and begun operational management of the Northern West Virginia Water Treatment Facility of Consol Energy Inc. near Mannington, West Virginia. The Zero Liquid Waste (ZLW) facility designed and built by Veolia will treat 3,500 gallons per minute of mine drainage. By employing a ZLW process, water of low quality is extracted and treated, and clean water is returned to the ecosystem, improving the water balance and condition of the Monongahela River watershed.

Veolia will provide operational management of the facility for the next 10 years, guaranteeing Consol continual performance and optimization of the system. The ZLW treatment concept removes contaminants in the mine water and reduces them to solid salts. The process also uses a number of sustainable practices and technology applications, reducing the carbon and energy footprint of the treatment process.

This environmentally sustainable design and construction approach was developed to help Consol meet discharge standards for chlorides in West Virginia's waterways. The facility will treat water from Consol's Blacksville #2, Loveridge and Robinson Run mining operations.

"In partnering with Veolia on this first-of-its-kind in scale and scope project, we were able to bring the water treatment plant online on time, under budget, and in full compliance with our permits," commented Katharine Fredriksen, senior vice president environmental strategy and regulatory affairs. "This demonstrates the success of partnering with a company that shares our commitment to our core values of Safety, Compliance, and Continuous Improvement."

The high-quality water generated by Consol's treatment facility will improve water quality in the Monongahela River.