yanks will be yanks

VTI standing up for them selves.... bought bloody time


Posted on Fri, Oct. 21, 2005

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• Acid drainage found in new area


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Tensions rise to surface

Debate surrounds acid rock treatment

By Mike Joseph

[email protected]


Ten weeks after an Australian company began a $1 million test of an environmental cleanup product at Skytop, strained relations and a communications breakdown surfaced Thursday between the company and Penn State scientists who have been testing less costly solutions.

At stake are millions of dollars of taxpayer money that will likely be channeled toward the final cleanup schedule for the Interstate 99 construction site five miles west of State College.

The tensions Thursday arose during the twice-monthly meeting of state road builders and environmental regulators who have been trying to decide how to clean up the acid-rock drainage water hazard from a million cubic yards of pyrite-laced rocks at the site.

The departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection are testing Bauxsol -- a derivative of aluminum manufacturing marketed by the Australian company Virotec.

The Penn State scientists -- Duff Gold, Barry Scheetz and Hu Barnes -- are simultaneously comparing the effectiveness of Bauxsol with two alternative substances, powdered gray limestone and white brucite (magnesium hydroxide).

Neil Bardach, Virotec's North American director, told the road builders and environmental regulators Thursday that the Bauxsol test won't be concluded until Thanksgiving but said he was "very encouraged" by the reduction in acidity and metal concentrations in one monitoring well.

But Penn State geochemist Hu Barnes has told the same state officials that his analysis showed Bauxsol less effective than a less costly mixture of crushed limestone powder, magnesium hydroxide and kaolinite clay.

The Barnes team carried out the comparison using three identical concrete tanks containing 10 tons each of typical pyritic rocks from Skytop, as well as transparent plastic columns each containing 50 pounds.

Barnes told officials Thursday that he tried without success to explain the findings to Bardach.

"I didn't detect much interest," Barnes said. "It seems to me that discussion was detoured by a discussion of the Bush administration."

Barnes said that Bauxsol does not mix as efficiently nor penetrate as thoroughly as the less expensive mix and that the Bauxsol testing process could benefit from the Penn State analysis.

"They need us in the worst possible way," Barnes said. "We're willing to give them all the data we have, but they've got to provide some technical people to interact with us."

Bardach blamed himself for the communications breakdown, said he would "fix it" and pledged a "new community effort with the Penn State team."

State Rep. Lynn Herman, R-Philipsburg, said a third legislative hearing on the acid-rock drainage will be scheduled in December and asked Bardach if he would be willing to address the lawmakers. Bardach said, "We'd be delighted."

Herman said he would discuss with state Rep. Richard Geist, R-Altoona, whether the Penn State team would also be invited to present its findings to the lawmakers.

Mike Joseph can be reached at 235-3910.