The U.S. Bureau of Mines is identifying and assessing various hydrogeologic and mining variables important in delineating wellhead protection zones around public supply wells in mining regions. As part of this study, researchers are monitoring hydrologic conditions between the Solar No. 7 Mine, an active underground coal mine, and three municipal wells in the borough of Stoystown, PA. Key variables important in determining the hydrologic interaction between mining activities and municipal water

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... use have been monitored at the Stoystown field site. These variables include pumping rates and water levels in the three municipal wells, ground-water inflow rates into the mine, and water levels and water quality in three aquifer systems. The borough of Stoystown extracts on the average a total of 125,000 L (33,000 gal) per day from the three municipal wells. An average of 567,750 L (150,000 gal) per day of ground water is pumped from the Solar No. 7 Mine. Except in one monitoring well set which was undermined, no changes in water yield or quality in the municipal wells or the monitoring wells have been seen, thus far, that can be attributed to mining activity. Results from future model simulations will be used to demonstrate how the impact of mining on water quantity and quality can be taken into account in the delineation of wellhead protection zones, and how future mine planning can be incorporated into local wellhead protection programs. Additional Key Words: wellhead protection, room-and-pillar coal mine, municipal pumping rates, groundwater inflow to mine workings.