Problems and Solutions Graphic from the 2005 Times Shamrock Newspapers Investigation Series: Deep Trouble by Jessica D. Matthews

Coal has been mined in Pennsylvania since the late 1700s. The impact of this resource extraction is widespread and has many facets. Aside from the global effects of rising greenhouse gases and air pollution caused by fossil fuels, such as coal, Coal Region landscapes have been transformed into virtual wastelands.

‘Moonscapes and Bleeding Streams’

Those who venture too close to open mines take their safety into their own hands. Homes built over abandoned underground mines are at extreme risk of collapsing into the ground. Streams, void of aquatic life, are smothered with a sludge made of heavy metals and coal silt.

Abandoned Mine Lands

280,000 acres – 3 times the size of Philadelphia
Pennsylvania has 1/3 of the national problem across the country
It will take an estimate of $15 billion to clean it all up
Impacts ecological balance of the environment – especially water quality
Many different health and safety hazards

Abandoned Mine Drainage

Forms when surface water comes in contact with coal material, pyrites, and air
Contains iron, sulfates, manganese, and/or aluminum
pH levels sometimes below 3 (very acidic)
Impacts over 5,000 miles of streams in Pennsylvania
AMD is Pennsylvania’s largest non-point source water pollutant

Highwalls & Water-filled Pits

Highwalls are cliff-like banks at strip mines
- Can be hundreds of feet high
- Deaths and injuries from falling
Water-filled pits are found at the base of highwalls
- Sometimes popular recreation spots
- Drownings occur

Subsidence

Moving, shifting, cracking, or sinking of the earth
Wooden support structures or pillars in underground mines decay and collapse
Changes in mine pool levels can be another cause
Buildings are also affected by subsidence
Water supplies and other utilities may be affected or damaged

Open shafts

Surface openings to underground mines
May be camouflaged by overgrown brush or covered in ice
Can be hundreds of feet deep
Usually contain water
Falls, entrapment, and drownings can occur
Often leak mine gases into nearby areas

Refuse Piles

Material left over after coal mining and processing
Contain coal and rock
Runoff from piles causes surface mine drainage
One pile can cover many acres
Some piles take on the formation of a mountain range
Destroy natural landscape and create wastelands
Black material soaks up heat and radiates it back into the atmosphere

Mine Fires

Refuse piles or exposed coal seams catch fire
Garbage or brush is dumped in these abandoned areas illegally and set on fire
Pennsylvania has 40-50 deep mine fires burning statewide at any given time
The oldest mine fire started in 1912 and is still burning today near Wilkes-Barre
Dangerous gases are released and can seep into homes (i.e. carbon monoxide)
Ground subsidence once underground mine pillars burn