48 SECOND BIENNIAL EEPORT [W. VA, 



August 1st, 1911. 

 HoN GEORGE M. BOWERS, 

 Fish Commissioner, 



Washington, D. C. 



DEAR SIR: I have your two letters of the 31st. ult. and beg to thank you 

 for same. 



I desire to ask your advice as to pollution from coal mine drainage, and 

 whether or not you have any suggestion as to the manner of controlling it so- 

 that it will not be deleterious to fish life. 



Would a settling pool, such as is used by tanneries, paper mills, etc., do any 

 good in purifying the water that flows from coal mines? 



We now have a case of this kind pending in the Court of Appeals that went 

 up from Barbour county, and in the trial of the case in the Circuit Court sev- 

 eral experts were introduced by the defendant Coal Company and it seemed 

 to be the unanimous opinion that coal could not be economically mined in 

 West Virginia if the operators were compelled to take care of the water and 

 so treat it that it would not be injurious to fish. 



I have talked to several State Fish Commissioners and none of them have 

 been able- to tell me in what way this water can be so purified so as to not be 

 deleterious. 



If you can give me any advice or information on this subject I assure you 

 that I will appreciate same. Yours very truly, 



J. A. VlQUESNEY, 



Warden. 



August 3, 1911. 

 MR. J. A. VIQUESNEY, 



Forest, Game and' Fish Warden, 



Belington, West Virginia. 



SIR: In reply to your letter of the 1st instant you are informed that it 

 is the opinon of the Bureau that settling pools such as are used by tanneries, 

 etc., might in some cases be found of use in the purification of water that flows 

 from coal mines. The best results are to be secured only by the combination 

 of filtration, neutrilization, precipitation and decomposition. 



Your attention is called to the report of the Department of Fisheries of 

 the State of Pennsylvania, lor 1910, pages 53-55 and pages 117-118, as an 

 illustration of what may be accomplished by these methods. As the condition 

 with which you have to contend cannot be very different, it is suggested that 

 the State "Commissioner of Fisheries, W. E Meehan, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 

 is in a position to give you some very pertinent information on the subject.- 



Respectfully, 



GEO. M. BOWERS, 



Commissioner. 



August 1st, 1911. 

 HON. W. E. MEEHAN, 



Commissioner of Fisheries, 



Harrisburg, Pa. 

 DEA SIR: I am, at present, having a great deal of trouble with the 



