COAL TOWNSHIP - A subsidence that could be up to 400 feet deep and has grown to approximately 20 feet in diameter due to heavy rains was discovered Monday night in a wooded area behind the intersection of Bay and Pine streets.
Coal Township Street Department employees have cordoned off the area by installing barricades, a plastic fence and police caution tape around the perimeter of the subsidence, which is located on property owned by Molly Dormer, who lives across the street at 1454 W. Pine St. The subsidence is approximately 100 feet northwest of the home of Evelyn Mowery, of 1539 W. Pine St.
Coal Township Police Chief William Carpenter and Code Enforcement Officer Chris Petrovich warned people to stay away from the area. They said heavy rain that hit the area Wednesday night and Thursday morning has made the subsidence wider.
Carpenter said, "The hole is surrounded by private property and it is extremely dangerous to walk in that area."
Petrovich, who was made aware of the subsidence Tuesday morning, said he reported the incident to Jack Lee, citizen complaint investigator with the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Wilkes-Barre.
He said Lee and an engineer inspected the subsidence Wednesday and estimated that it will take two weeks before backfilling operations can begin.
When contacted Thursday afternoon, Lee said the subsidence occurred in a former mining area known as the #15 vein airway. "Our mine maps indicate that the subsidence void may be up to 400 feet deep," Lee said. "It was approximately 15 feet in diameter when we inspected the area Wednesday, but I'm sure that has grown since the rain hit."
While taking photographs of the subsidence, a News-Item reporter witnessed sections of the dirt perimeter collapse into the huge hole. A large tree on the perimeter of the subsidence also was in danger of collapsing into the hole Thursday morning.
Ron Ryczak, civil engineer manager for the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, said, "We are currently working on obtaining the materials we will need to complete the backfilling project. I expect work to begin in about two weeks."
In addition to backfilling the subsidence to the surface, Ryczak said additional material will be placed on top of the backfill to allow for settling.