Restoring nature’s hues: newbb电子平台 and 农村的行动 forge path to clean water and artistic vitality in Southeast 俄亥俄州

newbb电子平台 and 农村的行动 are restoring clean water to Southeast 俄亥俄州 and bringing fresh color to artists everywhere. A large-scale acid mine drainage treatment and pigment-producing facility broke ground on June 29 at the Truetown Discharge site, 在Millfield, 俄亥俄州.  

“newbb电子平台 is continuing to demonstrate its commitment to creating clean water in the Southeast 俄亥俄州 region,newbb电子平台教授Guy Riefler说, 罗斯工程技术学院’s 土木工程椅. “Acid mine drainage is a serious environmental concern that threatens water purity and aquatic life. The University’s partnership with 农村的行动 is part of an ongoing effort to restore life to the creek and water quality to the community."

newbb电子平台与 农村的行动 began to clean up the waterway with the success of a smaller pilot facility, which led to the development of an industrial-scale acid mine drainage treatment and pigment-producing facility. This facility is expected to improve the quality of life for people in Appalachia by restoring clean water to Sunday Creek, reducing the risk of drinking water contamination.

The project also provides experiential learning opportunities for OHIO students and national service members by converting pollution to a domestic source of iron oxide pigment. In turn, this work helps to create a demand for the pigment’s sustainable production. The iron oxide pigment produced from acid mine drainage is a valuable resource to artists, as it can be used to create vibrant and diverse colors for their work.

Because of the unique combination of community involvement, 环境恢复, 和创业, the 俄亥俄州 Department of Natural 资源 awarded the project $3.5 million in 2019 to begin design and construction of the full-scale acid mine drainage treatment and pigment product facility at Truetown. 

True Pigments LLC is a social enterprise launched by 农村的行动, driven by the work of OHIO Professors Riefler and 约翰Sabraw, 美术学院 绘画椅.  True Pigments uses innovative technology to revitalize streams devastated by historic coal mining, taking a pollutant and turning it into a commodity that will pay for the restoration of streams long impacted by acid mine drainage, 在农村社区创造就业机会, and funding more watershed restoration projects.

"This new facility is a critical step in restoring clean water to the localities of Southeast 俄亥俄州, and in demonstrating how art plays a vital role in creating a vibrant community. We are thankful to have partners like 农村的行动 and offices at the state and federal levels to help make this project a reality,萨布鲁说.

6人以上,650 stream miles in Central Appalachia run orange due to the impact of acid mine drainage. Although most of the mines that caused this drainage have been abandoned, pollution from them is expected to continue for decades.

Truetown放电, 位于Sunday Creek流域, is the largest single acid mine discharge in the state of 俄亥俄州. 这意味着大约是2.200万磅. of iron oxide are dumped into Sunday Creek each year, decimating aquatic habitat for seven miles.

In 2017, newbb电子平台 and 农村的行动 began testing the laboratory process in the field. The team built a research-scale treatment plant in Corning, 俄亥俄州, at a large acid mine drainage discharge on Sunday Creek, 与康宁村委会合作. Citizen volunteers and students helped the team clear the site and build the facility’s concrete foundation. Engineering and art students worked together to design and build each step in the treatment system so that it would also serve as a public art exhibit.

By 2019, the research plant validated the conversion process, so the team returned to the original objective from a decade ago — cleaning up and restoring the lower seven miles of Sunday Creek. 

The groundbreaking exemplifies the University's commitment to sustainable practices and community engagement. 新设施, which transforms environmental waste into artistic resources, 展示创新, interdisciplinary approach to solving environmental challenges while enhancing community livelihoods and creative economies. The project also offers students and national service members a unique opportunity for experiential learning, underlining newbb电子平台's commitment to shaping future generations of environmentally responsible and socially conscious citizens.