More Than 200 Mines Pose High Risk Of Flooding – Brief Article
A study by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) identifies 207 coal mines in the nation with a high risk of flooding to the incident in July that trapped nine miners at the Quecreek mine in Somerset County, Pa. MSHA released the first results of a risk assessment at a Charleston, W.Va., meeting of about 300 mining industry officials gathered for a symposium on mine-map accuracy.
Ray McKinney, MSHA administrator for coal mine health and safety, described high-risk mines as those within 500 feet (ft) of flooded old mine workings and with maps deemed questionable by regulators. But this description, he said, “just tells us the potential is out there and the scope of this thing is pretty broad.”
MSHA also found 203 mines with an “intermediate risk” that subjects them to inundations, as mines within 500 to 1,000 ft of old workings and have reliable maps. Another 96 mines are rated as low risk, with no abandoned mines within 1,000 ft. Most of the high-risk mines were found in Kentucky (77) and West Virginia (47).
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