Abandoned coal processing property to be reclaimed and made useful

Harrisburg, PA— Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty announced a $184,510 contract to reclaim the abandoned A.D. Coal Co. coal processing facility in Washington Township, Dauphin County, removing threats to public health and safety and eliminating acid mine drainage and erosion that affect local water quality.

The project was awarded to Lycoming Supply Inc. of Williamsport, Lycoming County. Funding for the project comes from forfeited reclamation bonds and a federal fund for the reclamation of abandoned mine lands that is supported by taxes paid by the active coal-mining industry on every ton of coal mined.

“This reclamation project involves removal and disposal of abandoned buildings and equipment, underground storage tanks and potentially hazardous materials,” Secretary McGinty said while visiting the site with staff from DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation. “Work also will include grading coal refuse piles and planting trees and grasses to reduce acid mine drainage and erosion that degrade the Wiconisco Creek.”

The coal-processing site, built in the early 1940s, was operated by A.D. Coal Co. from 1987 until it was abandoned in 1990. The site contains a partially collapsed 70-foot-tall coal preparation plant, underground storage tanks, asbestos-containing materials, abandoned processing equipment and piles of fine coal refuse.

The entire site will be graded to approximate pre-use contours and planted with grasses and a tree-seed mixture. The project is expected to take about 10 months to complete.