The Department of Environmental Protection has awarded $652,161 to reclaim an abandoned mine site in East Keating Township, Clinton County. Last mined in 1976 by Fran Contracting Inc., the site is part of the Cooks Run watershed, which stretches into Cameron County.

Acid mine drainage from the site, called Camp Run No. 3, seeps underground and into nearby streams that eventually channel into the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. Prior to this impact, the streams supported native wild trout.

DEP has been working with Trout Unlimited, local government organizations and private industry to reclaim the Cooks Run watershed, which also includes Rock Run and Camp Run.

Prior to being impacted, the Fish and Boat Commission listed these sections of Camp and Rock Runs as streams supporting the natural reproduction of trout.  Many endeavors to abate and treat the AMD were attempted over the years following reclamation, but none of the efforts significantly improved the water quality in Rock, Camp, and Cooks Runs.

“Pennsylvania has approximately 180,000 acres of abandoned mine sites in need of remediation, and our aggressive program is reclaiming these sites to eliminate harmful acid mine drainage, protect our waterways and return the land to its original condition,” DEP Deputy Secretary for Active and Abandoned Mine Operations John Stefanko said.

Through a contractor, DEP will install a 550-foot long underground drain to divert water away from the site. To neutralize the pH of any groundwater or rainwater that does flow through the site, 15,000 tons of alkaline material will be packed into the ground. The agency will also seed 27 acres; plant more than 15,000 trees; construct an access road; and excavate and backfill 165,000 cubic yards of soil and material from the site.

DEP awarded the contract through a bidding process to T.P. Contracting of Loretto, Cambria County. The project is expected to be completed by Aug. 24, 2013.

The project is being funded by a grant from the U.S. Office of Surface Mining. The federal fund is supported by a tax on the modern coal industry and is distributed to states as annual grants to reclaim mine sites that were abandoned prior to passage of the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.

 A surprise change in federal law in July will reduce federal Abandoned Mine Reclamation Funds coming to Pennsylvania by over $200 million over the next 10 years.

9/10/2012