DEP To Host 2nd Information Session On Swoyersville Culm Bank Reclamation Project Dec. 5 In Luzerne County

On November 26, the Department of Environmental Protection announced it will host a follow-up information session on December 5 regarding the Swoyersville Culm Bank Removal Project in Luzerne County.

The session will take place from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the Swoyersville Hose Company No. 2, located at 299 Slocum Street, Swoyersville.  

Representatives from DEP, the Department of Transportation, and the project contractor, Keystone Reclamation, will be on hand to discuss the project and answer additional questions from residents.

The estimated 10-year project involves removing more than 4 million cubic yards of coal waste and rock material from the 55-acre site off Main Street in Swoyersville. The material was generated from the Harry E. Coal Breaker, which ceased operations in the 1970’s and was dismantled in 1995.

Once the refuse is removed, the area will be re-vegetated for development and 7.5 acres of that will be donated to Swoyersville Borough for use as a public recreational area.

The work will also improve water quality in nearby Abraham’s Creek by reducing flooding and decreasing the possibility of acid mine drainage.

Approximately 2.8 million cubic yards of the material removed from the site will be used by Keystone Reclamation Fuel Management out of Northampton County as fuel for its cogeneration facility.  

The project is being funded by the federal Abandoned Mine Reclamation pilot program which was authorized by Congress in 2017.

The partners for this project include: Keystone Reclamation Fuel Management, Swoyersville Borough, Pagnotti Enterprises, Foundation for PA Watersheds and the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

For more information on mine reclamation, visit DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation webpage.