Vogue Slurry Project
The Vogue Slurry Refuse Enhancement Rule Project area was comprised of two abandoned coal slurry ponds adjacent to Henry Oats Road, approximately one mile south of Highway 70 in Muhlenberg County. The slurry was extremely acidic (pH 2.8) and defied vegetation. During rainfall events, slurry escaped into the roadside ditch beyond the pond embankments. Over time, the ditchline and at least one culvert were filled creating the potential for water to be diverted onto the road during storm events. This flooding problem would have continued to increase, if it had been left unabated, and threatening the health and safety of motorists who used the road.
Vogue Refuse consisted of approximately 29 acres of fine coal refuse that was deposited in an area between two unreclaimed spoil ridges. The land is owned by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) and lies within the Peabody Wildlife Management Area; however, Charolais Coal controlled the rights to recover any resources present. Since the property was committed to post reclamation use as wildlife habitat, the completion of the project had a significant positive impact on the assets of the Commonwealth. Proceeds from the sale of wood harvested on the project were forwarded to the KDFWR.
After clearing and grubbing, they began recovery of usable coal. All fine coal refuse that had adequate British Thermal Unit (BTU) value to be utilized as a fuel, was removed from the site and blended with higher quality fuels or processed at an off-site synthetic fuels facility to allow the maximum resource recovery to occur. This removed up to an estimated 644,000 cubic yards of potential acid mine drainage (AMD) producing material from the site.
The area was covered with approximately 4 feet of material obtained from spoil ridges adjacent to the site on a 50-acre borrow area. A drain through the project area allowed surface waters to pass through the project, thereby minimizing the recharge sources for the surrounding unaffected abandoned mined land areas which are AMD producers.
Charolais Coal completed the rough grade work, and the project was turned over to AML. The division then awarded a contract to complete the final grading, liming and revegetation of the entire disturbed area.