Loan will help with construction of new plant
State loans will provide a financial boost to an effort to treat water leaking from an abandoned mine in southeastern Greene County and avert what many expect will be an environmental hazard in the next few years. State Sen. J. Barry Stout and Rep. Bill DeWeese have announced that $4,324,645 in low-interest loans has been made available for the construction of a treatment plant that will treat water discharges from the Shannopin Mine.
Greene County Commissioner Farley Toothman said the Shannopin site was selected for several reasons, including proximity to the proposed power plant expected to be built by Gen Power near Fort Martin in Monongalia County, W.Va.
Additionally, Toothman noted the urgency of the environmental issues at Shannopin. In fact, the Shannopin Mine pool is expected to reach elevation in less than two years, when it will begin discharging acidic water into Dunkard Creek, a major tributary of the Monongahela River.
Toothman called the treatment facility “a great thing.”
These funds, in addition to a recent $800,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, constitutes “more than $5 million going toward the reclamation of the Dunkard Creek watershed,” Toothman said. “This will extend the life of the small mine there and bring the ‘ounce of prevention’ to the acid mine drainage.”
Noting that the situation at the mine site has reached a state of crisis, Stout said the treatment facility also will have a positive economic impact on Greene County.
Dana Mining of Pennsylvania (DANA) is the “private partner” in the project, Toothman said. DANA is expected to expand, retaining 30 jobs and creating another 50 mining jobs as a result of this project. DANA also will invest $6 million in construction renovations and equipment costs.
Additionally, AMID Reclamation Inc. will create 20 to 30 construction jobs, and the treatment plant will require at least one full-time plant operator, plus associated spin-off jobs, such as lime truck drivers and chemical and petroleum suppliers.
The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) administers the low-interest loans.
DeWeese and DANA Mine representatives could not be reached for comment.