Aug 29

news editorWritten by:
8/29/2008 1:00 AM

 
 COLUMBUS, OH - The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will hold a public meeting in Athens on Thursday, September 11th  to discuss proposed abandoned mine projects being considered in six southeastern Ohio counties.  The meeting is set for 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the conference room of the ODNR/Wildlife district office at 360 E. State Street. 

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 Athens, Guernsey, Lawrence, Meigs, Perry and Washington counties. Meeting attendees are encouraged to present details of their own abandoned mine problems in these counties as well as Belmont, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Licking, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble and Vinton counties and to check on eligibility for funding.

In November, ODNR will apply for federal 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 ten non-emergency projects in southeastern Ohio.  ODNR proposes to spend about $531,400 on construction for these projects.  Also included in the grant is $615,400 to improve streams impacted by acid mine drainage, and $2.3 million to address emergency abandoned mine land problems in the coal region.
                                                                                        
Projects proposed for the southeastern Ohio mining district will accomplish the following

• Securing a highwall near a residence                                                                                   
• Stabilizing a mine-related landslide
• Removing 3000 cu. yd. of coal refuse from a stream channel and floodplain and stabilizing the stream bank
• Installing or upgrading eight mine drainage diversion systems
• Constructing a new bridge span, raising a road, and installing a new roadsurface  to alleviate stream clogging and road flooding

 
 For Further Information Contact:
 Jason Fallon, ODNR Media Relations
 (614) 265-6842
  -or-
Brad Burwell, ODNR Mineral Resources Management                         
(330) 339-2207

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