Abandoned Mine Posts

by Bruce Golden, Regional Coordinator and Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator

WPCAMR is pleased to report that once again, we are to receive additional funding for our Quick Response program. The new funding comes from two sources:  a PA DEP Growing Greener award for $100,000 and a matching grant for $20,000 from the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

The Quick Response program provides funding for emergency repairs for Growing Greener eligible water restoration projects which includes passive treatment systems. For several years, those of us working with Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) passive treatment systems have recognized the growing need for system maintenance and the difficulty in obtaining funding for that activity. Application directly through the Growing Greener program had been a way to secure funding for repairs. However, a grant award is not a certainty, plus the process requires lengthy time spans and is usually inadequate for emergency situations. WPCAMR, DEP, and others recognized that there had to be a better way to provide funding for, at the very least, emergency repairs.

Work by the Operation, Maintenance, and Repair (OM&R) Workgroup, an ad hoc group of experts and practioners in AMD remediation, resulted in a better idea of the costs for OM&R for passive treatment systems. Armed with that information, DEP issued a request for proposals (RFP) in 2005, for the administration of an emergency response program, but ultimately did not fund the program at that time. WPCAMR successfully made application to Growing Greener in 2006 to create a “Quick Response” program (largely based on the RFP of the previous year) with a grant award of $350,000.  The program is really a cooperative effort between DEP and WPCAMR. DEP provides the funding and WPCAMR provides the fiscal agility to quickly get funds to where they’re needed.

Here’s how the program works:

1. A potential applicant in need of emergency repair funding contacts their local DEP Watershed Manager with information of the problem. That Watershed Manager then does a site visit to make an initial assessment of the problem and eligibility.  One or more cost estimates are obtained, and a formal application is made.

2. The application is evaluated within DEP, followed by approval or denial of the application.

3. The application is then passed to WPCAMR, whereby the applicant is given formal notification of the decison from the approval process, and if successful, will be given the authorization to proceed with repairs, along with the maximum reimbursable funding amount.

4. Once authorized to proceed, the applicant has 90 days to complete the repairs.

5. When the repairs are completed, the Watershed Manager is notified by the applicant, which will trigger an inspection of work performed. Following a satisfactory inspection, all of the necessary paperwork including receipts and other supporting documents are then sent to WPCAMR with a request for reimbursement.

6. WPCAMR issues a reimbursement check to the applicant (or designee).

So, how quick is quick? The time from the initial request to the time of authorization to proceed with work can literally be only a few days, depending on the urgency of the situation. The reimbursement time can be anywhere from as little as a week to as much as several months.  The actual reimbursement time depends on a variety of factors, principal among those are the number of quick response requests WPCAMR receives at any given time and the cost of each reimbursable project.

Recognizing the value of the program, WPCAMR intends to again apply for additional Quick Response funding in the current round of Growing Greener Grants due May 16th.

To discuss eligibility for Quick Response funding, contact your local DEP Watershed Manager or District Mining Office Watershed Manager:

DEP REGIONAL WATERSHED MANAGERS:

Northwest Regional Office, 230 Chestnut St., Meadville, PA 16335-3481
Telephone: 814-332-6848
Watershed Manager: Diane Neukum

Northcentral Regional Office, 208 W. Third St., Suite 101, Williamsport, PA 17701-6448
Telephone: 570-327-3423
Watershed Managers: Joan Sattler, Jennifer Means

Northeast Regional Office, 2 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711-0790
Telephone: 570-826-2511
Watershed Managers: Ron Yablonsky, Andy Schweitzer

Southwest Regional Office, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-4745
Telephone: 412-442-4000
Watershed Managers: Rita Coleman, Jeff Fliss, Greg Holesh

Southcentral Regional Office, 909 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-8200
Telephone: 717-705-4700
Watershed Managers: Mary Golab, Jineen Boyle, Rick DeVore, Mark Mathews

Southeast Regional Office, Two East Main Street, Norristown, PA 19401
Telephone: 484-250-5900
Watershed Managers: Désirée Henning-Dudley, Donna Suevo, Dave Burke, Kevin Munley

DISTRICT MINING OFFICE CONTACTS:

Pottsville District Mining Office
(Watershed Manager, Dan Koury)
5 W. Laurel Blvd.
Pottsville, PA 17901-2454
Telephone: 570-621-3118

Cambria District Mining Office
(Contact, Malcolm Crittenden)
286 Industrial Park Road
Ebensburg, PA 15931-4119
Telephone: 814-472-1900

Greensburg District Mining Office
(Watershed Manager, Ron Horansky)
Armbrust Professional Center
8205 Route 819
Greensburg, PA 15601-8739
Telephone: 724-925-5500

Moshannon District Office
(Contact, Mario Carrello)
186 Enterprise Drive
Phillipsburg, PA 16866
Telephone: 814-342-8200

Knox District Mining Office
(Watershed Manager, Sherry Carlin)
White Memorial Building, P.O. Box 669
Knox, PA 16232-0669
Telephone: 814-797-1191

by Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator

Remining can be an effective tool for abandoned mine drainage (AMD) abatement. This process includes the extraction of remaining coal reserves from previously mined lands. Through remining, these areas are reclaimed to today’s standards and polluted discharges can either be eliminated or at least, improved.

Existing waste coal piles can be prolific producers of acids and metals which run off into our streams and find their way into our groundwater. Removal of this waste coal is one way of returning the land to productive use while eliminating a source of water pollution. 

While not always appropriate as a reclamation tool for every site, remining remains a viable option in Pennsylvania’s tool kit for Abandoned Mine Reclamation. Financed partially or entirely by the removal of the coal, little or no public funds are required. An important tool that facilitates remining is known as a Government-Financed Construction Contract or GFCC. The Government-Financed Construction Contracts program is for contracted operations that will reclaim abandoned mine land sites at little or no cost to the public. The Government-Financed Construction Contracts program allows incidental coal removal as part of abandoned mine land reclamation contracts, authorizes no cost reclamation contracts and allows reclamation of abandoned mine land adjacent to active mining operations using excess spoil.

With Pennsylvania’s huge inventory of abandoned mine problems, having industry help with the reclamation burden saves taxpayers millions of dollars while fostering more land reclamation and water quality improvements.

Brochure from WPCAMR:  “Remining for Abandoned Mine Reclamation”

To find out if remining is appropriate for your reclamation/remediation site, contact your local PA DEP District Mining Office:

The Knox District Mining Office
White Memorial Building P.O. Box 669 Knox, PA 16232-0669
Phone: (814) 797-1191 Fax (814) 797-2706

The Moshannon District Office
186 Enterprise Drive, Philipsburg PA 16866
Phone: (814) 342-8200 Fax (814) 342-8216

The Cambria District Mining Office
Cambria Office 286 Industrial Park Road Ebensburg, PA 15931
Phone: (814) 472-1900 Fax (814) 472-1898

The Greensburg District Mining Office
Greensburg District Mining Office
Armbrust Professional Center, 8205 Route 819, Greensburg, PA 15601
Phone: (724) 925-5500 Fax (724) 925-5557

California District Office
25 Technology Drive
California Technology Park
Coal Center, PA 15423
Phone: (724) 769-1100 Fax: (724) 769-1102

by Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator

In this new series at Abandoned Mine Posts, we take a fascinating journey back through time. It’s a journey of discovery and a journey of connections. It’s the story of how coal came to be part of Western Pennsylvania life and the story of the coal connections that would shape our future.

Part 3: The Stage is Set

In the early years of the 19th century, technological advances helped the Anthracite coal industry to get started in Pennsylvania. But well before those advancements were made, settlers in Western Pennsylvania came across Bituminous coal in a place called Mount Washington. As its use grew, local Bituminous coal found a place in Western Pennsylvania homes and industry during the latter part of the 18th century, but getting this fuel out to the masses for widespread use was, as we’ve seen elsewhere, a major problem. The terrain was too rough. As a result, Bituminous coal remained fairly well ensconced in Western Pennsylvania—for the time being. This transportation difficulty for the fledgling Pennsylvania Bituminous coal industry gave Anthracite one of the breaks it needed. The other break would come as a result of war.

At the end of the first decade of the 19th century, Great Britain’s relationship with the U.S. began to sour over details surrounding trade restrictions, Britain’s war with France, and the conscription of American sailors into the British navy, along with other assorted events. It was all a very complicated mess which led to the U.S. declaring war on Great Britain—a little something called the War of 1812. Of course, in declaring war, the U.S. really put itself into a pickle. You see, due to the war, all shipments of coal and other goods to the states were halted and any domestic bituminous coal coming from other states like Virginia was effectively cut off. It was a dismal situation—without coal, industrial advancement in Pennsylvania would come to a complete halt—or would it?

At the beginning of the 19th century, those simple technological advances led to more folks discovering the merits of burning Anthracite. During the war, these advances continued to progress especially given the fact that the U.S. was being starved for British coal. Even though Anthracite was becoming more widely used, there still wasn’t enough available to completely replace the need for imported coal. Citizens in the population centers of the east had to endure several winters under a coal shortage. In addition to giving the fledgling Anthracite industry a chance to grow, the war inadvertently stimulated domestic manufacturing. Out in western PA, Pittsburgh by virtue of its geographic placement near rivers and within relatively easy reach of raw materials, began to produce significant quantities of iron, brass, tin, and glass products. However, Pittsburgh was still relatively isolated from Philadephia and the rest of the East because of the Allegheny Mountains.

Street map of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1795, which includes Fort Pitt, detail from Plate IV, Samuel W. Durant’s “History of Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania

Meanwhile, back in Britain, advancements in steam engine technology to pump water out of the mines, ultimately led to the creation of something that would really get coal moving—the steam locomotive. The first steam rail locomotive was invented in Britain in 1804 by a Mr. Richard Trevithick and over the next decade, continual improvements by other inventors led a Mr. George Stephenson to think he could do better. Stephenson worked in local collieries and was self-taught in reading and writing. In 1812, he became a colliery engine builder, and by 1814 he built his first locomotive. These early locomotives became invaluable to the coal and steel industry for transporting their products throughout Britain.

In America, after the war ended in 1815, Anthracite began to be the fuel of choice for heating American homes and for fueling Pennsylvania’s renewed industrial growth. Thanks to road improvements, Anthracite shipments to many of the Eastern population centers increased by the 1820s. Anthracite coal was finally on its way, but not as fast as folks would have liked.

When American industrialists and businessmen learned of the marvelous contraptions in Britain known as steam locomotives, they recognized the obvious transportation benefits and set about to import them, but as you could imagine, the shipping costs were a tad on the high side. After a time, American inventors decided to save on shipping costs and develop their own steam locomotives and by the early 1830s, several American-made locomotives were in operation between Maryland and New York. The locomotives were a hit. Of course by this time, with the steam locomotive manufacturing industry now firmly established in the U.S., there was a distinct need for rails for the locomotives to actually run on, not to mention a huge demand for coal to make the steel and fuel the locomotives. The stage was set for an explosive period of industrial growth in the U.S., the likes of which had never been seen before and Pennsylvania would be ground-zero.