The Department of Environmental Protection Tuesday announced it has awarded a $1,348,248 contract for the Alder Run West abandoned mine reclamation project in Graham and Morris townships, Clearfield County.

The Alder Run West main work items include grading 1,138,657 cubic yards of material, reclaiming 8,400 linear feet of dangerous highwall, incorporating 1,870 tons of limestone screenings, excavating 1,662 cubic yards of earth to channelize storm water, planting 44,200 trees, and seeding 112 acres.

The reclamation work will be done by Ben Hal Mining Company of Grove City. A pre-job conference will be held on Sept. 11, and the project will be completed by September 13, 2014.

The contract was awarded on a competitive basis and is being paid for out of a grant from the federal Office of Surface Mining. The federal fund is supported by a fee 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.

For more information, call 717-783-2267.

9/16/2013