Springhill puts warm water to use

The town of Springhill, N.S., is living up to its name.

As many as 400 gallons per minute (gpm) of warm water are being drawn from the town’s infamous, and now derelict, coal mine. There are plans to take another 1,150 gpm in the near future.

It is a constant 64-72F and that is just right for the three industrial establishments now using it. A fourth plant will come on line soon, as will the stores and offices on the town’s main streets. Heating bills have been drastically cut and the town is expecting new industry will soon be moving in. Warm spring water was first noticed near the old coal mine in 1985. Test holes showed a continuous flow of water and now there are no less than 16 wells in the area. The deepest holes so far are nearly 500 ft. deep. They are designed to break through into the coal workings.

Once the water’s heat has been extracted, the cooled water is returned to a waste well.

The supply might be inexhaustible. According to Jack MacDonald, Springhill’s geo-thermal co-ordinator, “engineers have calculated there could be 1.2 billion gallons in the 7.5 square miles of old workings.”

While the water is practically crystal clear, it is not potable. It contains too much iron and magnesium.

Springhill colliery started in 1870. It suffered two explosions and a major rockburst (or a “bump” in the coal miner’s lexicon). The death toll had reached 426 by the time the mine closed in 1969.

What everyone hopes for is that the mine will once more produce energy, not through fire but by water.