2007 NRT PHoto Contest/GhostTown4.jpg

"Mine drainage control" - Photograph copyright © 2007 by Mary Shaw; all rights reserved
Ghost Town National Recreation Trail near Rexis. Photographer's Notes: The area mines collect groundwater, and the pressure of this groundwater causes water to back up into the basements in nearby Vintondale. To relieve the pressure, boreholes were drilled in the bed of Blacklick Creek. The pressure from the mine creates these small fountains. The white color is an aluminum precipitate, and the photo shows the mine water mixing with the creek water.