Southern Minerals Seeks Permit Renewal for Underground Mine Near Welch

Southern Minerals, Inc. filed an application with West Virginia regulators to renew its Article 11 / WVNPDES permit, No. WV0090972, covering wastewater and stormwater discharges from an underground coal mine along with associated refuse areas and haulroads situated approximately 2.2 miles southeast of Welch.

The application, filed ahead of the March 12 public notice date, seeks reissuance of the existing permit rather than authorization for new operations. The permit governs how the deep mine manages and releases water runoff and process discharge, making it a key environmental compliance document for the site's continued operation in McDowell County.

State permit renewals of this type trigger a mandatory public comment window under West Virginia's water pollution control framework, giving nearby residents and downstream water users a formal opportunity to raise concerns before regulators make a final determination. The mine's position roughly 2.2 miles from Welch places its discharge points within a watershed that feeds into the Tug Fork drainage system, a waterway with a long history of environmental scrutiny in the southern coalfields.

Southern Minerals did not release additional details about any operational changes associated with the renewal request. The reissuance process will require state environmental officials to evaluate whether current discharge limits remain appropriate and whether the site has maintained compliance under the existing permit terms.

Residents with questions about the permit or the comment process can contact the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Water and Waste Management, which administers the WVNPDES program.