PITTSBURGH — Residents of Pittsburgh and its surrounding suburbs are finding themselves inundated with problems associated with a decaying web of abandoned mines, but money to deal with the situation is in short supply.

State, federal and city funds are difficult to come by, especially if the problem — most often contaminated water spewing up from underground — is not deemed urgent, life-threatening or an environmental hazard.

Of about 1,000 annual inquiries to the state's Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, only up to 100 are deemed serious enough for the state and federal governments to stabilize at their expense. In Pittsburgh, the city often treats the issue as a private property matter.

But as the mines dug under the city in the 1930s and 1940s age, the problems are becoming more frequent and more serious, and property owners are increasingly seeking insurance dollars or paying for the work themselves.

Jim Holden, supervisor of the Department of Environmental Protection's mine subsidence insurance program, told a Pittsburgh newspaper that statewide "probably a million structures are at risk." However, barely 60,000 insurance policies have been written, either privately or through the department.

Meanwhile, state and federal dollars are only available for the most severe situations, such as the discharge of 10,000 gallons of water a minute last year from an old mine in McDonald, a town about 20 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.

State maps show abandoned mines snaking under Pittsburgh's hill neighborhoods, as well as those south of the Monongahela River. Some eastern and northern neighborhoods are also built on old mines.

"Most were propped up with timbers, and as they decay and collapse, there is definitely more potential for subsidence," said Eric Cavazza, design section chief for the state's Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation.

In Pittsburgh's upscale Squirrel Hill neighborhood, angry residents have put up a sign declaring "Abandoned Mine Hazard."

When the weather is dry, the old mine lays dormant. But when it rains, water seeps out, joining a pool on Aylesboro Avenue and turning the street into a watery mess that cars sometimes cannot traverse.

The water has a high level of aluminum but is not contaminated enough to receive reclamation funding. The city says it is the property owners' responsibility to ensure that the water does not flow down the street, but it has not fined them because the source of the water is unclear.

Guy Costa, director of the city's Department of Public Works, said city engineers have studied the problems and offered residents a $7,000 remediation plan for which they would have to pay.

Dave Wheitner, a nearby resident, said several of the neighbors have offered to cover half the cost of remediation, but the city has yet to agree.