Monitoring AMD treatment sites remotely

SFU's IDEA Center:
Remote Control for Pennsylvania's Clean Water

Environmental and General Engineering Capstone Design students team up to develop a system to help clean up acid mine drainage pollution from afar

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is a common form of pollution that occurs when certain types of rock are mined for coal, clay, or other valuable minerals. Mining can produce acidic water, which can dissolve problematic elements such as iron, aluminum, zinc, and manganese. In the waters downstream of a mine, these elements re-precipitate - leaving streams polluted with cloudy deposits of these metals, clogging the habitats of and thus killing many important aquatic organisms.

Engineers and scientists can treat acid mine drainage, and the best place for treatment is at the source: the area where water runs off the mine site. In Pennsylvania and many other locations, many of these mines are abandoned sites - left over from poorly regulated, untreated operations. While treatment systems in these remote areas can function successfully without excessive engagement, regular monitoring and maintenance are necessary to keep downstream waters pollution-free. For operators of AMD treatment facilities, getting out to sites for this regular monitoring and maintenance is costly and increases the risk to operators from additional driving in remote areas.

For their 2025 Capstone Design project, our student team of Ashlyn Campagna, Andre Isreal, Isabel Lumley, and Kevin Salmon, partnered with BioMost, Inc., an experienced AMD treatment company in western Pennsylvania, to explore strategies for managing some of the monitoring needs of their AMD treatment sites remotely. The team developed a strategy to connect sensors at the treatment site to a control board that can send a text message - via the cellular telephone network - when certain conditions arise at the treatment site. These conditions can include unexpected water quality changes as well as physical problems, such as a water control gate failing to close or open as programmed. In addition, the connection can provide the operator with regular water quality data through this communication. Having this kind of information can relieve the operator of a costly trip to a remote site while still allowing for consistent monitoring; in addition, such communication can notify BioMost of a problem, allowing the company to respond more effectively and keep the treatment system operating at its best.

Treatment of mine water is an important strategy in maintaining the high quality of streams and rivers across Pennsylvania, and indeed across the world. Helping companies develop new tools to advance and improve water treatment techniques gives SFU engineering students an opportunity to make a difference in their own community while learning valuable technical skills and developing their abilities in teamwork, communication, and project management.

The IDEA Center at Saint Francis University

Founded in 2024 with funding from the National Science Foundation's Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships directorate, The Innovation Development Ecosystem for the Alleghenies (the IDEA Center) at Saint Francis University is eager to support more projects like this one. Interested in partnering with us? Contact Dr. Tim Miller: [email protected] or Dr. Rachel Wagner: [email protected] to learn more and explore collaboration opportunities.

Majoring in Environmental Engineering at Saint Francis University

In this hands-on B.S. program, students master the core principles of environmental engineering while applying them directly through immersive fieldwork, dynamic laboratory experiences, and real-world design challenges. From day one, students collaborate on meaningful, student-led projects that grow in complexity each year-building toward an impactful senior capstone that showcases their technical skills, creativity, and commitment to solving today's environmental challenges. Learn more about the Environmental Engineering major at SFU.