Dec 16, 2014 3 min read

MATHER – Work to begin the reclamation of the Mather coal refuse dump, using soil from the lake bed of the now-dry Duke Lake at Ryerson Station State Park, is not expected to start until the beginning of the year.

“An exact date has not been set, but generally the target is sometime after the start of the new year,” said John Poister, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Some preparation work at the 70-acre Mather site will have to be completed before the soil from Duke Lake can be applied to the Mather site, he said. Deep ditches formed by erosion will have to be filled and leveled and some remediation work done where the site borders Ten Mile Creek, he said.

State officials announced in August a plan to use about 250,000 cubic yards of soil from the dry lake bed to complete the reclamation at Mather, a plan that would benefit both projects.

Soil in the lake bed has been tested and determined to meet standards for “clean fill.” It is expected to make an excellent cover for the Mather site. The soil also must be removed from the lake bed at Ryerson as part of the process of restoring the lake.

DEP earlier announced it had awarded a $1,592,773 contract to reclaim the Mather site to Berner Construction Co. of Gap. DEP also will provide about $2 million to truck the soil from Ryerson to Mather.

Soil removal at Duke Lake will be completed with money the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources received from Consol Energy as part of a settlement to end litigation over damage to the Duke Lake dam.

DCNR earlier issued a contract to Alex E. Paris Contracting Inc. of Atlasburg for the work. The contractor is now at the site and will be preparing to begin the work, said Christina Novak, DCNR spokeswoman.

The Mather dump has been in existence for more than 95 years, taking into account the Mather Mine began operations in 1917. The property was abandoned about 50 years ago.

The refuse dump has been an eyesore and safety hazard to the community. The dump also has areas where coal continues to burn or smolder. These areas will be addressed during the project.

Part of the refuse site was reclaimed by Greene County Industrial Development Authority starting in 2001. The project, however, was halted several years later for lack of funding.

Duke Lake has been dry for nine years, since 2005, when inspections revealed expanding cracks in the concrete dam.

DEP determined the damage was caused by subsidence from Consol’s Bailey Mine, an allegation the company denied. A settlement to end litigation before the state Environmental Hearing Board between DEP, DCNR and Consol was announced last year that will result in replacement of the dam.