News Release

COLUMBUS, OH -- The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will conduct subsurface drilling tests beginning March 29 to determine the extent and condition of abandoned underground mines in a residential neighborhood of Green in southeast Summit County. Initially, drilling will be conducted on streets and other public rights-of-way, however, ODNR officials may later ask permission to evaluate some private properties as well. Work is expected to be completed by the end of April.

The affected area covers several city blocks within a larger area bounded by Derbyshire Road on the south, Charleston Drive on the east, Moore Road on the north and Cottage Grove Road on the west. Owners of approximately 100 adjacent properties have been notified by ODNR.

ODNR Field Project Manager Jim Gue, with the ODNR Division of Mines & Reclamation's district office in Salem, said the program — called the Berkenstock Mine Subsidence Exploratory Drilling Project — will define the limits of mapped abandoned underground coal mines in the area and will help develop recommendations to reduce the risk of damage or property loss caused by mine subsidence activity.

In recent years, areas in Green and neighboring Green Township have experienced several subsidence incidents due to the collapse of abandoned underground coal mines dating from the 1920s. Mines from that era were often not mapped or the existing maps are incomplete, Gue said.

Persons having questions or comments regarding the exploratory drilling project may contact Jim Gue, ODNR Division of Mines and Reclamation in Salem, at (330) 222-1527 or Derek Collins, geologist with the division's Abandoned Mine Lands Program in Columbus, at (614) 265-1038.