Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has invested an additional $15.2 million for the environmental restoration of 15 abandoned mine land (AML) projects as part of the Abandoned Mine Land and Abandoned Mine Drainage Grant Program. Pennsylvania has the largest inventory of abandoned coal mines in the nation, with a roughly $5 billion need for reclamation and stream restoration.
“Reclaiming these areas is an important part of the work DEP does to restore the environment and protect the communities in the Commonwealth, all while simultaneously creating jobs and bolstering the economy,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley. “These grant recipients are taking on projects to pave the way for meaningful efforts in improving water quality, fostering ecosystem recovery, and revitalizing communities for a greater quality of life for Pennsylvanians.”
The funding was awarded under Pennsylvania’s federally funded Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program, funded in part by the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA), which has invested more than $700 million into reclaiming Pennsylvania’s AML since 2022. This funding was put at risk last February when the Trump Administration unconstitutionally froze $1.2 million in Congressionally-appropriated federal funding, including IIJA funding to support Pennsylvania-based initiatives like this one. Governor Shapiro took legal action, suing the Trump Administration – and winning – to ensure this funding kept flowing. In addition to planned projects, this funding also pays for emergency situations like subsidence and sinkholes that can endanger people and damage or destroy homes and property.
Through the Grant Program, DEP prioritizes funding to address serious human health and safety problems resulting from abandoned coal mines, as well as treating abandoned mine drainage (AMD) to continue watershed restoration efforts under the AMD Set-Aside Program and prevent the loss of restored streams.
Grant recipients will be reimbursed on project costs up to the limit specified below. The following projects will be awarded:
Blair County
Altoona Water Authority - $112,850
- Glenwhite (Clear Water PTS Redesign) – Project work includes preparing an engineering design plan for future modifications of the Clear Water passive abandoned mine drainage treatment system located in Logan Township and within the Glenwhite Run Watershed.
Butler County
Stream Restoration Incorporated - $455,718
- Big Run – Project planning and development will be completed along with drafting an engineering design plan to develop a multi-phased plan for future sludge management at the Big Run abandoned mine drainage treatment complex located in Worth Township.
Stream Restoration Incorporated - $213,504
- Hamilton (McCaslin Road O&M) – Project work will include water monitoring, engineering design, and permitting required to conduct future maintenance and required improvements to the McCaslin Road passive abandoned mine drainage treatment system in Worth Township.
Cambria County
Natural Streams Foundation, Inc. - $158,187
- Saint Michael – This project will begin the initial efforts to remove nearly 400,000 cubic yards of coal refuse located in Adams Township. Project work includes developing an engineering design to quantify the volume of the refuse pile, identifying required permits, evaluating suitable disposal sites for the refuse material, and determining the best way to reclaim the refuse pile.
Carbon County
Weatherly Borough - $1,460,293
- Weatherly Borough Trail – The installation of pedestrian bridges under this project will complete the Phase 1 construction plan for the Weatherly Borough Trail, a nearly one-mile, multi-use, ADA accessible walking trail located along Hazle Creek in Weatherly Borough and Lehigh Township.
Centre County
Trout Unlimited Inc. - $221,270
- Poorman Side East – Project work includes preparing an engineering design plan and securing the appropriate permits for a future abandoned mine land (AML) reclamation project. The future project will address landowner concerns regarding an impaired water source caused by AML features in Snowshoe Township and within the Beech Creek Watershed.
Clearfield County
Clearfield County Conservation District - $1,133,928
- Chestnut Grove North (KORB4) – This project is the second and final phase in treating the KORB4 abandoned deep mine discharge in Bloom Township impacting the Little Anderson Creek within the Anderson Creek Watershed. Grant project work includes the construction of a vertical flow pond, drainable limestone bed, and flush pond.
Clinton County
Trout Unlimited, Inc. - $745,660
- Middle Branch – Project work includes removing, replacing and installing materials and equipment required to refurbish the Middle Branch abandoned mine drainage treatment system located in Leidy Township.
Trout Unlimited, Inc. – $377,021
- Tangascootack – Major improvements required to the Tangascootack No. 1 passive abandoned mine drainage treatment system located along Peacock Road in Beech Creek Township and within the Tangascootack Creek Watershed will be addressed. Project work includes converting a vertical flow pond to a drainable limestone bed (DLB), refurbishing an existing DLB, and replacing an undersized settling pond.
Fayette County
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy - $161,959
- Full Gospel Church (Morgan Run O&M) – An engineering design plan will be prepared for future rehabilitation of the Morgan Run passive abandoned mine drainage treatment system located in Dunbar Township and within the Morgan Run Watershed. Future rehabilitation of the system will increase the system’s lifespan and continue restoration efforts of over four stream miles.
Natural Stream Foundation Inc. - $1,798,608
- Rowes Run – A nearly 900,000 cubic yard coal refuse pile located in Redstone Township will be reclaimed. Reclamation efforts will address water quality issues, remove dangerous hazards, and restore the land for human and natural ecological uses.
Schuylkill County
Woodlands For Wildlife - $1,424,258
- Lorberry Junction Wildlife – Project work includes preparing an engineering design plan and securing the appropriate permits for a future abandoned mine land (AML) reclamation project to reclaim several AML features in Tremont Borough and Tremont Township and within the Swatara Creek Watershed.
Schuylkill Conservation District - $6,632,829
- Schuylkill Haven East (SGL 286 Reclamation) – Over 247,000 cubic yards of waste coal slurry will be removed from an abandoned dredge desilting basin located along the Schuylkill River in North Manheim Township. These reclamation efforts will restore nearly 21.5 acres of the Schuylkill River floodplain.
Somerset County
Somerset County Conservation District - $112,986
- Rock Tunnel Discharges – Project work includes the development and engineering design of a future abandoned mine drainage abatement project. Project development and engineering design will be completed to determine the most effective method to remove coal refuse and prepare a design plan to expand the Rock Tunnel Outfall passive treatment system in Conemaugh Township to treat additional abandoned mine drainage discharges impairing South Branch Bens Creek.
Washington County
Natural Streams Foundation Inc. - $193,493
- Dinsmore East – This project begins the initial efforts to remove over 250,000 cubic yards of coal refuse from a nearly five-acre site located in Smith Township. Project work includes preparing an engineering design plan and securing the appropriate permits for a future abandoned mine land reclamation project to remove the coal refuse.
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