W.Va. Company That Spilled Coal Slurry Cited Again

State environmental regulators have cited another violation at the West Virginia plant that spilled coal slurry into a stream last week.

The Department of Environmental Protection said the Kanawha Eagle preparation plant let more blackened water flow into the Kanawha River downstream Wednesday.
 
The additional release into the Kanawha occurred after snow melted and raised water levels in the affected stream, Fields Creek. The rising levels stirred up silt at the bottom of the creek. The creek overran some dams used to slow down water and catch slurry particles before they hit the Kanawha River.
 
On Feb. 11, the Kanawha County plant owned by Patriot Coal spilled 108,000 gallons of slurry, temporarily turning Fields Creek black.
 
State tests showed water quality at a treatment plant downstream in Huntington hasn’t changed.