HARRISBURG – State Rep. Camille “Bud” George, D-74 of Clearfield County, said that Sky Haven Coal Inc. of Penfield has won a contract to reclaim an 11.2-acre mine site in Bradford Township that was abandoned 50 years ago.
The coal company will grade the site close to original contours and apply 7,200 tons of waste lime in return for recovering about 15,000 tons of coal. The reclamation work, valued at $117,600, will be done at no cost to taxpayers.
The Saville Operation, which includes 1,500 feet of abandoned high wall, is located 1.5 miles northeast of Spring Valley along Long Run Road. The Maple Hill Coal Co. abandoned the mine in the late 1950s.
The Moshannon District Office of the state Department of Environmental Protection, which awarded the contract, said blasting is permitted as part of the reclamation but reprocessing of coal refuse at the site is prohibited.
The mine is in the Clearfield Creek-Upper West Branch watershed. Sky Haven won a similar contract last year for the nearby Kovalick Operation.