It's possible that they could effect the nearby ground water. Most of the time the water table around mines gets lowered. That is what I have seen in the past.

I went around a mine up near Terra Haute and testing about 30 wells in the surrounds. We took water samples and tested them for parameters that the coal company needed to get their permit. We also tested the ground water levels with a probe on a long electrical line.

It's hard to say what effect the mines might have. I do think that the blasting is much stronger than the geologist let on. The blasting can create cracks in the rocks and that can let the ground water seek deeper area and lower the ground water levels maybe.

This might effect some people that live nearby by lowering the ground water and drying up some shallow wells. Those people may be forced to drill a deeper well to keep the water flowing

Most mines have to have wells sunk around their mining operation and those wells are tested monthly for water levels and quarterly for other parameters such as pH, Temp, Conductivity, and certain metals may be required to be tested too. It's been a while since I worked at the Environmental lab and can't remember all the parameters that coal mines are required to test for. It should be a matter of public record. IDEM Or IDNR may have that data on file somewhere.

I was just reading the Evansville Courier and Press online tonight and read that at one time OUR Local Waste Disposal company had thought about opening up another landfill near Elberfeld, IN. That's right near Bluegrass Fish and Wildlife Area. I went there today and caught a limit of nice 11" crappie. I about dropped dead when I read that they were thinking about putting a landfill near that F&W area. The paper said they reconsidered due to so much opposition.

Hopefully we can protest Glendale as well.
Regards,

Moose1am