Mine reclamation project in northern Schuylkill receives funding
GORDON – A mine reclamation project in northern Schuylkill County is receiving funding, the first in several years.
The Schuylkill Conservation District is getting $442,191.20 to reclaim abandoned mine lands on State Game Land 326 in Butler Township outside Gordon.
This funding was awarded through the Abandoned Mine Lands and Acid Mine Drainage Grant Program, which is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Two other projects in Schuylkill County are receiving funding as well.
Schuylkill Conservation District is receiving $379,085 to analyze the Pine Knot and Oak Hill boreholes and the Repplier mine discharges to develop an abandoned mine drainage treatment facility in Cass Township, which will reduce pollution in local streams.
Woodlands for Wildlife is receiving $658,890 to reclaim 27 abandoned mine land features in Branch Township, south of Llewellyn.
“These are great projects that will clean up legacy mine problems and improve the quality of life for Schuylkill County residents,” said Wayne Lehman, County Natural Resource Specialist, Schuylkill Conservation District.
“Thanks to these awards, there will now be fewer black wastelands and polluted rivers and streams in our area,” said State Senator Dave Argall (R-29). “We’ve made significant progress since I grew up near abandoned coal pits in Tamaqua’s east end, but much work remains ahead.”
“Anthracite coal fueled the Industrial Revolution and two World Wars, but it also left behind abandoned mines and acid mine drainage,” said State Rep. Tim Twardzik (R-123). “To date, Pennsylvania has rehabilitated more than half of the 288,000 acres of abandoned coal mines. These latest grants mark a significant step toward addressing these challenges and restoring areas impacted by mining activity. The Schuylkill Conservation District and Woodlands for Wildlife are doing vital work to improve our environment, and this funding will support their efforts to reclaim abandoned mine lands and mitigate acid mine drainage. These projects are crucial for protecting our natural resources and revitalizing our communities.”
Pennsylvania has the greatest number of abandoned coal mines in the United States and has received more than $700 million in federal funding to reclaim abandoned mine lands since 2022.
Abandoned mine lands have been the site of several deaths in northern Schuylkill County alone, many of which were drownings. In 2015, a Shenandoah Valley High School student, Tolik Stutts, drowned at an abandoned mine site near Lost Creek.
Since the 1990s, several people have died at abandoned mine sites in the Shenandoah and Girardville areas. The Shen Penn pit east of Shenandoah was the subject of protest in the early 1990’s after three back-to-back-to-back deaths at the abandoned site.
South of Girardville, multiple people have died at two abandoned pits, including in 2021.
None of the local abandoned mine land sites where fatalities have occurred have been reclaimed, despite PADEP prioritizing health and safety in reclamation efforts.
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