Despite costs associated with withdrawal, transportation, treatment and permitting, the use of mine pool water can lead to significant cost savings. In the case of Exelon’s Limerick Plant cost savings accrue because pumping from Point Pleasant (on the Delaware River) is avoided. Costs of pumping water from Point Pleasant are very high due to a whole series of steps, streams, and reservoirs before the water arrives at the plant. The quality of the water from the Wadesville Mine Pool is high enough that no treatment is required. This report presents evidence that the use of mine pool water is technically feasible, can be approved under existing regulatory authorities, and can be cost-effective. Nevertheless, mine pool water is not widely used today. Because other, more traditional fresh water sources have been available historically, there has been little incentive to explore new water supplies. Mine pool water is used already at some small facilities and is being investigated for use at several larger facilities. Before the resource can be more fully utilized, many questions will need to be answered, and industrial users, regulators, and the public must gain a better understanding of the value and potential impacts of using mine pool water.

Reprinted with Permission from Argonne National Laboratory