Coal Sludge Impoundment Pond

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Sylvester, West Virginia - The coal sludge impoundment pond at Massey Energy's Elk Run complex. Impoundments hold liquid and solid wastes from the coal mining process, including toxic chemicals that can seep into local water supplies. Occasional failures of impoundment dams have caused loss of life and severe environmental problems.

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Size: 3521px × 5081px
Location: Sylvester, West Virginia USA
Photo credit: © Jim West / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: america, appalachia, coal, dam, dump, elk, energy, environment, impoundment, industry, lake, massey, mining, mountain, pollution, pond, refuse, run, sludge, slurry, states, tailings, toxic, united, usa, vertical, virginia, waste, water, west, wv