Old coal mine water helps trout

Who would believe that millions of trout, charr and salmon thrive in pristine water pumped from deep inside West Virginia abandoned coal mines?

They are creating a burgeoning aquaculture industry offering vital economic support to impoverished communities in the Appalachian Mountains where coal-mining jobs dropped from a peak of 883,000 in 1923 to 44,060 in 2024. In the last 25 years, many developed countries have seen growing resistance to coal-powered electricity production.

Since 2000, 780 U.S. coal-fired units were retired with projections of 120 added closures planned in the next five yea...