REPORTS ON THE OCTOBER 2000 BREAKTHROUGH AT THE BIG BRANCH SLURRY IMPOUNDMENT

	Reports on the October 2000 Breakthrough at the Big Branch Slurry Impoundment

On October 11, 2000, an estimated 306 million gallons of water and coal slurry drained from Martin County Coal Corporation’s Big Branch impoundment into an adjacent underground mine. Approximately 245 million gallons of the water and coal slurry discharged from the underground mine and entered nearby watersheds. No personal injuries were reported, but the slurry affected over 75 miles of streams in Kentucky and West Virginia with the spill reaching as far as the Ohio River. This was the second major breakthrough event at this impoundment, the first having occurred in May 1994. Also, as a result of several breakthroughs over the last few years including some in Virginia, the Office of Surface Mining developed a plan to assure that impoundment breakthroughs into the underground mine do not occur in the future. The reports below are products from that work and along with links to reports done by others on this subject. They are provided in pdf graphic

Acrobat .pdf format.

OSM/MSHA Report to Congress: Responses to Recommendations In the National Research Council's Report Coal Waste Impoundments: Risks, Responses, and Alternatives August 15, 2003)
Internal Review of MSHA’s Actions At the Big Branch Refuse Impoundment Martin County Coal Corporation Inez, Martin County, Kentucky. (January 21, 2003 MSHA Report) News Release . (January 23, 2003 MSHA)
Coal Waste Impoundments: Risks, Responses, and Alternatives (2001 National Academy Press)
Report on October 2000 Breakthrough at the Big Branch Slurry Impoundment (March 4, 2002) Complete report Without appendices (7,843 KB) Report by Chapters: Executive Summary and Contents (411 KB)
Introduction With photos of the site (3,493 KB)
Background (1,268 KB)
Impoundment Breakthrough Investigation (3,650 KB
Probable Breakthrough Mechanism (332 KB)
Conclusions and Recommendations (366 KB) Appendices: Appendix 1 Plan (317 KB)
Appendix 2 Enforcement Actions (193 KB)
Appendix 3 Permit and Underground Mine Critique and Chronology (715 KB)
Appendix 4 Subsurface Investigation (1,190 KB)
Appendix 5 Geophysical Survey (426 KB)
Appendix 6 Report on Seepage Barrier Stability (307 KB)
Appendix 7 Report on Certifications (220 KB)
Appendix 8 Emergency Action Plan (708 KB)
Appendix 9 Information Bulletin No. P94-18 Emergency Action Plans (113 KB)
Appendix 10 Report on South Mains Pond Portal Discharge (638 KB)
Appendix 11 Report on Blasting (1,083 KB)
Appendix 12 Report on Seismic Activity (322 KB)
Appendix 13 Report on Underground Pillar Stability (265 KB)
Criteria for Evaluating the Potential for Impoundment Leaks Into Underground Mines (Existing and Proposed Impoundments), July 2001 Complete report (3,453 KB) Report by Chapters: Report (701 KB)
Attachment No. 1 Impoundment Review (473 KB)
Attachment No. 2 Evaluation Procedures (385 KB)
Attachment No. 3 Breakthrough Events 1994-2000 (176 KB)
Attachment No. 4 MSHA Information Bulletin No. P00-16(188 KB)
Attachment No. 5 MSHA Procedure Instruction Letter No. 199-V-3 (316 KB)
Attachment No. 6 MSHA Program Information Bulletin No. P94-18 (82 KB)
Attachment No. 7 U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular No. 8741 (1,083 KB)
Attachment No. 8 Appalachian Regional Coordinating Center Implementation Plan (93 KB)

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Office of Surface Mining
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