County Looking to Remove ‘Orange’ From Solomon Creek

By Jennifer Learn-Andes, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader

Mar. 28–HANOVER TWP. — Luzerne County is seeking a way to take the orange out of Solomon Creek.

Iron oxide from abandoned mines gushes from bore holes that discharge into the creek, staining it orange. The polluted water then drains into the Susquehanna River.

The county hired Borton-Lawson Engineering to recommend a solution, and the firm is close to revealing its idea, said county Planning and Zoning Department Director Adrian Merolli.

The county recently applied for a state Growing Greener grant to test whatever solution is recommended. Testing is important because millions of dollars in government money could eventually be invested in the permanent solution, Merolli said.

Ridding the creek of its orange will be tricky because the iron is dissolved in the water as it pours out, said project supporter Robert Hughes, a regional coordinator at the Luzerne Conservation District.

Diverting the water into a wetland or detention pond is one method of getting the iron to separate and sink, so it can be removed, Hughes said.

"It’s kind of like mixing sugar with iced tea. If you let it sit, the sugar will sink to the bottom of the glass," Hughes said.

However, the wetland solution requires land, and Hughes doesn’t know if there is enough available vacant land near where the bore holes discharge. The county might opt to construct several smaller wetland/detention ponds around various bore holes, he said.

There is also a possibility of using a new technology, such as an electroplating process to separate out the iron, Hughes said.

Tests are necessary to determine that a proposed treatment could handle the volume of water draining from the mines, Hughes said.

The bore holes were drilled in 1974 because basements were flooding along Middle Road and other areas, he said.

"They intentionally did it to relieve the water pressure," he said.

The county can’t plug the holes and release the water gradually because it would "put pressure somewhere else," he said.

"There are thousands of gallons of water each minute coming out of these holes," he said.

The iron has value as a pigment, and Hughes and others are trying to get companies — such as paint manufacturers — to buy into local iron-treatment projects as a source of raw material.

He points to Pittsburgh-based Iron Oxide Recovery Inc. as one example of a company that’s used the iron from abandoned mine drainage to help another company make pigment for paints, plastics and other products.

Hughes often shows area students how to make tie-dye shirts using the iron. He’s also helped mix it into an impressive wood stain that he says would be cheaper than some of the stuff on the market.

And it’s not just orange. The iron can be concocted into a spectrum of colors, from burnt sienna to a purplish hue, he said.

Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.

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