What's New
Electric co-op receives national award for reclaiming mined land in Missouri
Co-op serves member-consumers in southern Iowa
The Interstate Mining Compact Commission has recognized Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. as a national leader in mine reclamation. AECI and its Thomas Hill Energy Center received the 2007 Kenes C. Bowling National Mine Reclamation Award in the coal category for reclamation of the Bee Veer mine in Macon County, Missouri.
The award was presented May 1 at IMCC�s annual meeting in Indianapolis, Ind., and recognizes mining operations demonstrating excellence in reclamation based on achieving compliance, damage control, reclamation success and innovativeness.
AECI was nominated by the Missouri Land Reclamation Commission of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for its �exemplary reclamation, which exceeds the state�s bond release requirements in terms of revegetation and post-mining land use.�
�When you walk the reclaimed fields, woods and wetlands of the Bee Veer mine,� said Mike Giovanini, revegetation supervisor for AECI, �you simply can�t imagine it was ever a strip mine. The grass is high for cattle grazing, turkey and deer are back, the fishing is good.�
AECI was in the mining business from 1980 to 1993, when it shut down its mining operations and converted its coal units to burn low-sulfur Wyoming coal to achieve significant emissions reductions and meet the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.
�This $200 million conversion brought a 90 percent reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions and lower costs,� said Tom Watkins, plant manager at Thomas Hill Energy Center, which includes the reclaimed land. �We entered the mining business in 1980 fully committed to restoring the land we mined, as well as land mined by the previous owner. We have restored this land for productive use and that work continues to this day.�
AECI received the national award for complete restoration of 794 acres, including a nearly 100-acre coal slurry area. Last year the MLRC released AECI from its $977,550 liability to the state after AECI completely reclaimed the land for productive use.
According to the IMCC announcement, one of AECI�s most notable achievements was restoring water quality of the South Fork of Claybank Creek. When AECI took over mining operations in 1980, the creek ran yellow at times due to high concentrations of iron under acidic conditions. Following reclamation, the water quality of Claybank Creek improved significantly due to AECI�s intervention.
At the time reclamation began, the Bee Veer site consisted of mined land with vegetation interspersed with long strips of coal-processing waste. AECI reclaimed the area using both conventional and innovative methods at a cost of about $33 million.
AECI�s innovative approach included recovering 1.75 million tons of coal from the slurry site, then directly seeding and applying heavy doses of lime to neutralize the slurry. The area now produces grasses and plants appealing to wildlife. AECI transformed about 20 acres of slurry into wetlands for aquatic life and birds.
AECI has completed most of the reclamation on about 5,000 remaining acres of former mine land. The cooperative is proving the productivity of the land and submitting these areas for bond release as they become eligible.
Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma that serve more than 850,000 customers. AECI�s mission is to provide an economical and reliable power supply and support services to its members. AECI is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative.
Sidebar:
How AECI reclaimed the mine lands
Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. was recognized for its innovation and commitment to land restoration beginning in the 1980s. Here�s how AECI did it.
AECI innovated to mine the acres of slurry, a mix of coal particles, water, shale and clay deposited since the 1930s when the mine opened. After AECI took over mining operations in 1980, it recovered 1.75 million tons of coal from the slurry area, removed roughly one million cubic yards of slurry material, saved AECI about $30 million in fuel costs and earned AECI a national Excellence in Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Award.
AECI�s conventional reclamation methods included topping mined areas with 4 feet or more of clay to form a seal, contouring the land and fertilizing and seeding it with alfalfa, orchard grass and fescue. A network of drainages was designed over the former main slurry cell to divert water to impoundments, where the water was held and continually tested to ensure quality before it goes off site. Existing impoundments were improved to handle discharges and offer stability for changes in gradient.
Reclamation finished in 1998, and testing began to show the land had been returned to a productive state. More than 300 acres was reclaimed for excellent hay pasture.
In some slurry areas, AECI took an innovative approach and planted seeds directly on the slurry cell without adding clay or soil. Repeated, heavy doses of lime neutralized the slurry; the areas now produce warm-season grass and soft-stem, broad-leaf plants for wildlife, including deer and turkey.
Another 20 acres of slurry were transformed into wetlands for aquatic life and birds. The slurry was neutralized with lime, and wetland plants were planted and established. Discharge tubes were gated so that the water level could be managed for wetland vegetation and wildlife. The wetlands are part of the upper drainage of Claybank Creek found in the northern part of the mine site and were significant in improving water quality and lost wildlife habitat.
_____________________________________________________________
For more information about items in this section contact Ann Foster, director of communications, Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives, at (515) 727-8945 or afoster@iowarec.org
The Interstate Mining Compact Commission has recognized Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. as a national leader in mine reclamation. AECI and its Thomas Hill Energy Center received the 2007 Kenes C. Bowling National Mine Reclamation Award in the coal category for reclamation of the Bee Veer mine in Macon County, Missouri.
The award was presented May 1 at IMCC�s annual meeting in Indianapolis, Ind., and recognizes mining operations demonstrating excellence in reclamation based on achieving compliance, damage control, reclamation success and innovativeness.
AECI was nominated by the Missouri Land Reclamation Commission of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for its �exemplary reclamation, which exceeds the state�s bond release requirements in terms of revegetation and post-mining land use.�
�When you walk the reclaimed fields, woods and wetlands of the Bee Veer mine,� said Mike Giovanini, revegetation supervisor for AECI, �you simply can�t imagine it was ever a strip mine. The grass is high for cattle grazing, turkey and deer are back, the fishing is good.�
AECI was in the mining business from 1980 to 1993, when it shut down its mining operations and converted its coal units to burn low-sulfur Wyoming coal to achieve significant emissions reductions and meet the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.
�This $200 million conversion brought a 90 percent reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions and lower costs,� said Tom Watkins, plant manager at Thomas Hill Energy Center, which includes the reclaimed land. �We entered the mining business in 1980 fully committed to restoring the land we mined, as well as land mined by the previous owner. We have restored this land for productive use and that work continues to this day.�
AECI received the national award for complete restoration of 794 acres, including a nearly 100-acre coal slurry area. Last year the MLRC released AECI from its $977,550 liability to the state after AECI completely reclaimed the land for productive use.
According to the IMCC announcement, one of AECI�s most notable achievements was restoring water quality of the South Fork of Claybank Creek. When AECI took over mining operations in 1980, the creek ran yellow at times due to high concentrations of iron under acidic conditions. Following reclamation, the water quality of Claybank Creek improved significantly due to AECI�s intervention.
At the time reclamation began, the Bee Veer site consisted of mined land with vegetation interspersed with long strips of coal-processing waste. AECI reclaimed the area using both conventional and innovative methods at a cost of about $33 million.
AECI�s innovative approach included recovering 1.75 million tons of coal from the slurry site, then directly seeding and applying heavy doses of lime to neutralize the slurry. The area now produces grasses and plants appealing to wildlife. AECI transformed about 20 acres of slurry into wetlands for aquatic life and birds.
AECI has completed most of the reclamation on about 5,000 remaining acres of former mine land. The cooperative is proving the productivity of the land and submitting these areas for bond release as they become eligible.
Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma that serve more than 850,000 customers. AECI�s mission is to provide an economical and reliable power supply and support services to its members. AECI is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative.
Sidebar:
How AECI reclaimed the mine lands
Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. was recognized for its innovation and commitment to land restoration beginning in the 1980s. Here�s how AECI did it.
AECI innovated to mine the acres of slurry, a mix of coal particles, water, shale and clay deposited since the 1930s when the mine opened. After AECI took over mining operations in 1980, it recovered 1.75 million tons of coal from the slurry area, removed roughly one million cubic yards of slurry material, saved AECI about $30 million in fuel costs and earned AECI a national Excellence in Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Award.
AECI�s conventional reclamation methods included topping mined areas with 4 feet or more of clay to form a seal, contouring the land and fertilizing and seeding it with alfalfa, orchard grass and fescue. A network of drainages was designed over the former main slurry cell to divert water to impoundments, where the water was held and continually tested to ensure quality before it goes off site. Existing impoundments were improved to handle discharges and offer stability for changes in gradient.
Reclamation finished in 1998, and testing began to show the land had been returned to a productive state. More than 300 acres was reclaimed for excellent hay pasture.
In some slurry areas, AECI took an innovative approach and planted seeds directly on the slurry cell without adding clay or soil. Repeated, heavy doses of lime neutralized the slurry; the areas now produce warm-season grass and soft-stem, broad-leaf plants for wildlife, including deer and turkey.
Another 20 acres of slurry were transformed into wetlands for aquatic life and birds. The slurry was neutralized with lime, and wetland plants were planted and established. Discharge tubes were gated so that the water level could be managed for wetland vegetation and wildlife. The wetlands are part of the upper drainage of Claybank Creek found in the northern part of the mine site and were significant in improving water quality and lost wildlife habitat.
_____________________________________________________________
For more information about items in this section contact Ann Foster, director of communications, Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives, at (515) 727-8945 or afoster@iowarec.org
See all of "What's New"