COLUMN: Know the risk of mine subsidence

By Robert ‘Bobby’ Hughes, executive director of the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR)

Decades after underground coal mining all but ended in Eastern Pennsylvania, residents of certain areas continue today to face a hidden danger: mine subsidence.

Gaping holes sometimes open without warning on the ground’s surface. These mine voids can swallow or severely damage swimming pools, streets, vehicles and buildings, including sheds and homes.

It’s one of many environmental problems occurring in the state’s former anthracite and bituminous fields, where the impacts of “legacy mining” include scarred land, polluted streams, abandoned mine works and other health and safety concerns.

During the era before modern environmental regulations, some mining companies declared bankruptcy or simply closed and abandoned their properties. They left behind thousands of abandoned underground mines in the state.

Over time, unstable tunnels, gangways, shafts and slopes that are not filled or reclaimed in other ways can deteriorate or totally collapse, sometimes with deadly results. A Westmoreland County woman lost her life in December 2024 after apparently tumbling into a mine subsidence that had formed over a mine abandoned in the 1950s.

Fatalities from mine subsidence are rare. More typically, the shifting ground results in costly damage to buildings or other unsafe situations.

In Luzerne County, for example, a mine subsidence in April 2024 caused Toby Creek near Luzerne Borough to plunge into an abandoned mine. The state Department of Environmental Protection responded to the site to assess the situation, and crews reportedly spent several days restoring the creek’s flow to its original streambed by filling the void with concrete, rocks and clay.

The Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR) – a nonprofit organization at which I am executive director – assisted the state during the incident at Toby Creek. Our team members quickly arrived at the scene, measuring the creek’s flows upstream and downstream of the hole that was allowing infiltration loss into the mine workings.

Separately, a Schuylkill County family awoke in December 2024 to discover a subsidence had seemingly gobbled up their 44-foot, in-ground swimming pool. It was the second time in eight years that a mine subsidence had claimed a large chunk of the family’s property, according to news reports.

Today, more than 1 million structures in Pennsylvania sit atop abandoned mines, according to the state’s estimate.

Damage from a subsidence – such as a badly cracked foundation or other structural problem – often exceeds $100,000, according to a DEP video titled “Do You Need Mine Subsidence Insurance?”

Department officials caution that most homeowners insurance policies do not cover damage caused by mine subsidence.

Instead, mine subsidence insurance is offered by the DEP at affordable rates. The insurance “covers losses from earth movement and damage from the collapse of underground coal and clay mines in Pennsylvania,” according to the department.

Rate information, application forms and more can be found at dep.pa.gov/msi. Or call DEP at 1-800-922-1678.

A map to help you determine if mine insurance is recommended in your area can be found on DEP’s website; you can conduct a search using your address.

At EPCAMR, we are a proud partner in contributing to the DEP’s ongoing mine mapping efforts. Our team uses scanners to transfer surface and underground mine maps from paper to computer, then shares the images with DEP for public benefit, such as aiding people in determining whether or not it is necessary to purchase mine subsidence insurance or helping builders to evaluate sites for potential risks.

In fact, EPCAMR’s team has scanned more than 24,000 maps over the last 10 years that have been placed in the PA Historic Underground Mine Map Inventory System (PHUMMIS). Our staffers also assist residents with interpreting the symbology on the mine maps.

For EPCAMR, supporting the DEP’s Mine Subsidence Insurance program and its other mine mapping efforts is one of many ways our organization strives to help the region’s residents and communities. Learn more at EPCAMR.org.

Robert “Bobby” Hughes, a Wilkes-Barre native, is the founding executive director of the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR). The nonprofit organization serves 16 counties, promoting the reclamation and reuse of land impacted by past coal mining practices. Email him at [email protected].

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