ODNR Meeting to Discuss Abandoned Mines in NE Ohio

Posted by admin

August 27, 2008

COLUMBUS, OH - The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will hold a public meeting in New Philadelphia on Thursday, September 4th to discuss proposed abandoned mine projects being considered in six northeastern Ohio counties. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Business Office Conference Room A in Founders Hall of the Kent State University-Tuscarawas Campus, 330 University Drive.

Staffers from ODNR’s Division of Mineral Resources Management will be on hand to discuss environmental and public health and safety issues associated with Ohio mines that were abandoned prior to August 3, 1977, when legislation addressing the problem went into effect.

They will discuss the policies and procedures of Ohio’s Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Program and present a list of proposed projects for Coshocton, Harrison, Jefferson, Stark, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties. Meeting attendees are encouraged to present details of their own abandoned mine problems in these counties as well as Carroll, Columbiana, Holmes, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Summit and Trumbull counties and to check on eligibility for funding.

In November, ODNR will apply for federal construction grant money from the U.S. Department of the Interior to fund abandoned mine clean-ups during the next year throughout the northeastern and southeastern Ohio coal mining region. Part of that money is earmarked for 11 non-emergency projects in northeastern Ohio. ODNR proposes to spend about $365,000 on construction for these projects. Also included in the grant is $615,378 to improve streams impacted by acid mine drainage and $2.3 million to address emergency abandoned mine land problems in the coal region.

Non-emergency projects proposed for the northeastern Ohio mining district will accomplish the following

Stabilize a dangerous landslide along a road
Backfill approximately 3600 lineal feet of dangerous highwalls
Install mine drains, some in the form of curtain drains, to direct acid mine drainage away from several residences
Drill and install two new water wells to replace wells contaminated from abandoned deep mines
Stabilize a subsidence beneath a home

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