State confirms last week's mine blowout
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — Investigators from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection have confirmed that a mine blowout occurred last week in the township.
The event, which came amid a protracted period of rain and flooding concerns, also has at least one local government official concerned about the state of the mine itself.
“The Department has confirmed that a mine blowout was the cause of a complaint received ... on Feb. 26 in Butler County between Boy Scout Run and Semiconon Lane,” Melanie Williams, community relations coordinator for the department's Northwest Regional Office, said. “The investigation is ongoing.”
Residents who live along Semiconon Lane said they saw water that had a muddy-brown color spewing from the rocky hillside and into Semiconon Run, which serves as a tributary to Little Connoquenessing Creek.
The discharge created concerns about water quality in the area.
Dave Szakelyhidi, Harmony borough council member and chairman of the Water Authority board, said phone calls from concerned Connoquenessing Township residents alerted the borough, which draws its water from the Little Connoquenessing Creek.
“We shut our intakes off at 4 p.m. on Sunday before the orange water got there,” Szakelyhidi said.
Szakelyhidi said intake renewed around 6:30 p.m. Monday with extra caution given to examining the water.
“After this happened, there were specific tests that the DEP wanted us to take,” he said. “Continually, every 15 minutes we're doing tests at the water plant.”
DEP defines a mine water blowout as “a sudden and unexpected breakout of water.”
Szakelyhidi said he went with state investigators Tuesday to look for the mine, which was quickly found. He said they found a large hole in the ground, filled with water.
Szakelyhidi said he is unsure of the state's next step regarding mitigation, but he was concerned more about what the mine could do if it wasn't filled with water. He said a child could easily crawl into the hole, which has been marked for having dangerously low oxygen levels.
“There's no oxygen in there,” he said. “If kids crawl in there, they'll pass out.”
Szakelyhidi said he would like to see a seal on the hole that would allow water out, but that would keep children from entering.
