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An abandoned coal mine reclamation project in Schuylkill
County, Pennsylvania, has restored state game lands and transformed
environmental and public safety hazards into a wildlife paradise. The site
was characterized by dangerous highwalls, large spoil piles and acid mine
drainage. The area was dangerous for hunters, an eyesore for the community, and
an environmental liability.
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Prior to the reclamation project, steep highwalls and
water filled pits posed a major safety hazard.
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Acid mine drainage from the old mine was polluting the
watershed.
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The restoration of the game lands reclaimed 160 acres of
abandoned surface mines from the World War II era. When the entire site was
completed in Spring 2001, more than 833,000 cubic yards of material were graded
to backfill old strip pits ranging from 20 to 80 feet deep. The reclamation of
the site eliminated dangerous mine openings and more than 98,200 linear feet of
dangerous highwalls.
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More than 833,000 cubic yards of on-site material were
graded to backfill the old strip pits.
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Ditches lined with limestone were created to
capture runoff and treat acid mine drainage.
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Wetlands were created at the site to treat acid mine drainage
- part of a comprehensive plan consisting of other mine drainage remediation
projects to restore the Swatara Creek watershed. The Department developed
specifications for revegetating the area in conjunction with the Pennsylvania
Game Commission. Trees recovered during the clearing and grubbing of the area
were used to create long, narrow brush piles for rabbits, groundhogs and other
wildlife. Several types of clovers now provide wildlife food and a "bugging
area" for birds. The remainder of the area was seeded with warm season
grasses providing nesting cover for a variety of wildlife.
The once abandoned area is now a wildlife paradise.
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