The Maggie Lynn limestone mine is a surface mine found in Washington County. Neiswonger Construction, currently operating the Maggie Lynn limestone quarry, aims to undermine the surface site. Neiswonger has applied to move operations from simple surface mining to ‘underground’ highwall mining of limestone.
Highwall mining is a combination of surface and sub-surface mining. A remotely controlled machine collects minerals from unmined walls with overburden and exposed ores. The technique uses continuous drilling to excavate from the face of the wall in a tight square. Pulleys and conveyor belts move collected minerals from the drill through the device.
The proposed location of this mine is within a half mile of East Bethlehem Township, which is an environmental justice (EJ) area. When this type of permit is submitted for an EJ area, the DEP engages in enhanced public outreach as described in the current EJ Public Participation Policy.
Within this application, they will add holding ponds for the increased water needed to operate. Neiswonger Construction has applied for a large non-coal mining permit and a water discharge permit from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Approval of these permits would replace the current surface mining permit and its associated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit with a new underground mine permit. The draft permit also includes a discharge from a nearby PA coal reclamation site.
The company’s NPDES application cites that its only treatment for its mine water is to allow the sediment to settle out in ponds with curtains installed and to drip chemical flocculant to pull more sediment out of the ponds. These water treatment methods do not address other forms of pollution the water will gain by moving through this process, such as higher pH values and hardness. The company is required to self-report but does not explain how it will handle this issue.
The application also includes little information on the site’s remediation. These large pits will require a much better plan to return them to a productive, ecological level that they had been at before mining. These plans should include solutions to compaction, where the redistributed soil is so compressed by the weight of the machinery that it makes it difficult for native species to grow. The development of viable soil profiles requires the intentional backfilling of the correct types of soil layers in the pit and native species plantings to prevent erosion and sedimentation.
The Pennsylvania DEP will host a public hearing to gather feedback on a mining permit application and a draft permit for the proposed Maggie Lynn underground limestone mine in Deemston Borough, Washington County. The hearing is scheduled for Monday, August 26, 2024, at 6:00 PM and will be held at the East Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company, located at 503 Front Street, Fredericktown, PA 15333.
