OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION & ENFORCEMENT
For Release September 13, 1993
Alan Cole (202) 208-2719

INTERIOR SECRETARY BABBITT ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF NATIONAL ABANDONED
MINE LAND RECLAMATION AWARDS

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt today announced that
environmental restoration projects in nine states have won 1992
National Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Reclamation awards. The
award-winning sites are in Arkansas, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana,
Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The awards are sponsored by Interior's Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), which administers the national
AML reclamation program and sets national standards for protecting
the environment during coal mining and for restoring the land
afterward.

Award nominations were first judged by state mining and reclamation
agencies. State-level winners were then judged at the national
level by a panel of experts from OSM, the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and
the U.S. Geological Survey.

These awards are the first presented specifically for the
reclamation of mine sites abandoned before the Surface Mining
Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was enacted in 1977.

The contractors, engineers, and reclamation specialists responsible
for these award-winning abandoned mine projects transformed the
environment and appearance of each site, while neutralizing threats
to human health and safety, Secretary Babbitt said.

"Abandoned mine reclamation is extremely important work," Babbitt
added. "It is entirely fitting to present national awards to those
responsible for the best of the best."

The 1992 winners are:

--Shiloh Reclamation Project, Russellville, Arkansas: An
unreclaimed surface coal mine that operated in the 1960s left
barren and eroding spoil piles, flooded final cuts, and dangerous
submerged highwalls. In 1992, the Cullison-Thomas Construction
Company reclaimed the Site. Barren and eroding spoil piles were
graded to gentle slopes. shore line areas were stabilized, wetland
areas were created, and an all-weather gravel road was constructed.

--Coppermine Abandoned Mine Project, Page, Arizona: The in-house
construction crew of the Tuba City (NavaJo) Abandoned Mine Land
Office completed the Coppermine Abandoned Mine Project. The project
eliminated exposed shafts, open underground entries, dangerous
highwalls, and pries of eroding copper mine waste, while protecting
important cultural resources.

--Lead & Zinc Mine Sites Reclamation Project, Galena, Illinois: The
Gary L. Saam Construction Company used innovative reclamation
techniques to eliminate 25 abandoned underground lead and zinc mine
entries and shafts in and around historic Galena. The mine shafts
were led with polyurethene foam, then covered with colored,
reinforced concrete slabs. Avoiding the use of heavy equipment
minimized disturbance to the environment and protected Galena's
historic area from excessive damage.

--Pyramid Coal Company Reclamation Project, Pinckneyville,
Illinois: A surface coal mine that began operation in 1926
disturbed approximately 3,000 acres and left the site covered with
acid-forming refuse. Illinois Excavators eliminated the source of
the waste material by consolidating it, treating it with
acid-neutralizing pulverized limestone, and covering it with
compacted soft to prevent infiltration and allow a vegetative cover
to grow. Until the site was reclaimed, millions of gallons of acid
mine drainage were treated each year. Since reclamation was
completed, no acid water treatment has been needed. In addition,
270 acres of barren land have been revegetated, and the reclaimed
pit is being developed as a wetland.

--Boonville Hospital RAMP Project, Boonville, Indiana: Coal mining
activity in the 1930s left an unreclaimed site with a 35-foot
highwall and a water-filled pit, both hazardous attractive
nuisances to the children who live nearby and attend the elementary
school that borders the abandoned mine site. One side of the pit
area, near a residential area, was caving in, and the other side
was sloughing, posing a threat to adjacent Boonville Hospital. In
reclaiming the site, the Jerry Aigner Construction Company
eliminated the abandoned mine hazards and turned the site into a
useful and attractive resource for the community. The school is
planning to develop part of the site as an outdoor education
laboratory.

--Ocean Refuse Removal Project, Midland, Maryland: The Ocean
underground coal mine began operation about 1870. During World War
I, approximately 90 percent of all steamship coal used by U.S.
warships came from this mine. In reclaiming the site (abandoned for
decades after mining ended in the 1940s), the Winner Brothers Coal
Company regraded unstable refuse piles, backfilled highwalls and
underground mine openings, incorporated erosion- and
sediment-control measures, demolished old structures, moved a
historically significant ventilation fan, spread topsoil, and
planted vegetation and shrubs.

--White Oak IV Reclamation Project, Gallia County, Ohio: The White
Oak project, near Cheshire, Ohio, required the reclamation of a
70-acre former surface coal mine site containing highly acidic and
erodible spoil. Tons of sediment were washing into Little White Oak
Creek, causing regular flooding, and dangerous steep spoil
outslopes were encroaching onto Poplar Ridge Road, posing a hazard
to traffic. The reclamation contractor, Landscaping and Reclamation
Specialists, Inc., treated more than five million gallons of acid
mine drainage. In addition, the mine pits were treated, drained,
and backfilled, and 1,500 feet of Poplar Ridge Road was lowered
from atop the vertical highwall. With reclamation complete, the
abandoned mine land problems have been eliminated, the site has
been revegetated, and local streams are rapidly returning to their
original, pre-mining condition.

--Gay Branch Gob Pile Project, Clinchco, Virginia: The Gay Branch
Gob Pile, located at the site of an abandoned coal mine in
southwestern Virginia, was once rated as the highest extreme danger
site in the state. In reclaiming the site, the Mullins Construction
Company eliminated extremely steep refuse piles, abandoned mining
structures, open mine portals, erosion that clogged a nearby stream
channel, and two fires that produced gaseous smoke and fumes. The
overall quality of the project is so high that no maintenance has
been required since the project was completed in 1987.

--Pine Creek Mine Shafts, Logan County, West Virginia: In
reclaiming this former coal mine near Omar, the S J Construction
Company filled the upper section of the vertical mine shafts with
foam concrete, then constructed a concrete cap. After topsoil was
spread, the area was seeded. A vent installed in each cap prevents
the build-up of mine gases.

--Veca Pit and Spoils Project, Gas Hills, Wyoming: This abandoned
uranium mine contained large, barren spoil piles, highwalls,
uncovered drill holes, and a pit full of water. Surface spoil
contained high levels of radioactive wastes and heavy metals. To
reclaim the site, the Carr Construction Company segregated and
buried contaminated materials and constructed a clay-lined pond to
prevent water from seeping into contaminated materials. Regrading
eliminated the highwalls and created gently rolling land. The site
is now free of hazards and is populated by deer, antelope, and
small game.

Acting OSM Director W. Hord Tipton presented the awards and
recognized all those responsible for the award-winning reclamation
projects at the Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs annual
meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on September 13.

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