Brownfields Success Story

Reclaiming Abandoned Mine 

Lands One Parcel at a Time

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 

Though a boon to the economy for nearly 200 years, coal mining was 

not kind to Pennsylvania’s natural environment. In Luzerne County, in the 

northeastern part of the state, the legacy of anthracite extraction includes 

thousands of acres of abandoned mine lands. Many local streams and 

wetlands are contaminated with acid mine drainage, as well.

Leading the charge to clean up and restore these damaged lands and 

waterways is the nonprofit Earth Conservancy. Founded in 1992 and based in 

Ashley, Earth Conservancy partners with government agencies, educational 

institutions, other conservation groups, businesses and residents to reclaim 

and prepare former coal mining lands in Luzerne County for productive reuse.

In 1994, Earth Conservancy purchased nearly 16,500 acres from the 

bankrupt estate of the former Blue Coal Corporation and then meticulously 

mapped out a land use plan for the property. The plan involved cleaning up 

and reclaiming the land piece by piece, with parcels being set aside for open 

space, community use, and new residential, commercial and 

industrial development.

Recognizing the merits of Earth Conservancy’s divide-and-conquer 

approach, starting in 2003, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

began supporting the nonprofit’s efforts with a series of cleanup grants. As 

of 2015, Earth Conservancy has applied for and obtained 12 EPA Brownfields 

grants totaling $2.4 million. With that seed funding, the organization has 

already reclaimed nearly 2,000 acres of mine-scarred lands. 

The Opportunity

Throughout much of Pennsylvania’s history, coal was a key driver of 

economic growth. In the 1700s, coal powered the colonial iron industry. 

From the 1800s through the early 1900s, it was the primary fuel used in 

steel manufacturing. By 1918, the state’s coal production peaked at 276 

million tons. After World War II, as the steel industry declined, coal became a 

feedstock for electricity generation. 

Earth Conservancy oversaw construction of 

this stormwater basin to manage acid mine 

drainage at the Hanover 9 site.

EPA Grant Recipient: 

Earth Conservancy

Grant Type: 

EPA Brownfield Cleanup Grants

Former Use: 

Coal mining and prospecting

Current Uses: 

Open space, recreational trails, a 

community college dormitory, a new 

roadway and residential, commercial 

and industrial development

Abandoned mining pits filled with stagnant, 

polluted water and trash were typical on the 

property, including at the Hanover 9 site, Parcel A. 
Starting with one 

large piece of minescarred land, Earth 

Conservancy’s 

unique approach 

to brownfield 

redevelopment has 

been to parcel off 

and address the 

contamination on 

the property piece 

by piece, with a 

variety of reuses and 

outcomes to benefit 

the community.

“

“

Mickey Young

 Project Officer

EPA Region 3

The pond at the Concrete City site is 

transforming into wetland habitat as part of 

its recovery from acid mine drainage.

Developers plan to build townhomes on a 

portion of the reclaimed Franklin Bank parcel.

Until the mid-1900s, coal was mined without formal regulation and with 

little thought paid to the environmental consequences. When all available 

coal was extracted from a mining site, operators simply moved to another 

area, abandoning the previous mines. Across Pennsylvania, more than 

250,000 acres of mine lands were abandoned, scarring the landscape with 

environmental and safety hazards. As a result, more than 5,000 miles of the 

state’s waterways are polluted from mine drainage, and many people were 

injured, killed, or suffered property damage from unsafe and unstable mines.

In Luzerne County, Earth Conservancy grasped the opportunity to purchase 

an expansive land holding following the bankruptcy of the Blue Coal 

Company. The property, which was used both for mining and storing culm 

(refuse coal screenings), was dormant for decades. 

“We developed a comprehensive land use plan that served us well, and 

we continue to follow it today,” says Michael Dziak, president and CEO of 

Earth Conservancy. The plan identified more than 3,000 acres needing 

reclamation due to mine scarring and pollution. Further, it earmarked 

reserving 10,000 acres for green space, 2,800 acres for residential 

development, 2,200 acres for economic development and the remainder for 

farmland or other purposes.

Funding from EPA’s Brownfields Program, the Pennsylvania Department of 

Environmental Protection’s Growing Greener Program, the U.S. Department 

of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement and 

the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development 

helped Earth Conservancy get the ball rolling on nearly 50 projects. 

“Support from the EPA Brownfields Program is of particular importance,” Dziak says, 

“enabling us to leverage other funds necessary to complete this work.”

To date, Earth Conservancy pulled in a total investment of $42.8 million to 

tackle pollution on numerous tracts of land, cleaning them up and making 

them available for mixed-use development, as well as recreational use and 

green space.

Selected Projects

Concrete City Silt Pond Reclamation. On the border of the city of 

Nanticoke and Hanover Township, the Concrete City project reclaimed a 

36-acre site located near a suburban neighborhood. Historically, the site was 

used as a repository for coal mine waste. Over time, the acid mine drainage 

polluted the Nanticoke Creek watershed. Reclamation involved grading 

and recontouring a portion of the site, as well as installing soil and compost 

to encourage the growth of native plants. Currently, the pond on the site 

is recovering naturally, creating habitat for wetland-loving birds such as 

herons. The area will remain as open space. Total project cost: $333,000.
Franklin Bank Reclamation Project. In Hanover Township, near the border 

of the city of Wilkes-Barre, the Franklin Bank project involved a 14.75-acre site 

previously used to hold large amounts of residual culm. The surrounding area 

is residential, predominantly single-family homes. The sparse scrub vegetation 

that grew on the property offered the watershed little protection from the acid 

mine drainage. The reclamation project removed a significant volume of waste 

material from the site, and crews then regraded and contoured the land. Once 

the project was completed, Earth Conservancy sold the site, which is under 

development to feature townhouses. Total project cost: $337,000. 

Espy Run Wetlands Enhancement Project. Espy Run is a tributary to 

the Nanticoke Creek watershed and Susquehanna River. In 1994, Earth 

Conservancy piloted a project to construct wetlands with a passive system 

to treat approximately 500 gallons of water per minute from the Espy seep. 

The project demonstrated that constructed wetlands can be an efficient 

system for treating acid mine drainage. In 2011, a follow-up project installed 

an enhanced system with two new settling ponds—large, shallow pools that 

allow iron to settle out of the water as its flows through. Water then exits 

into a pond filled with water-loving plants such as cattails, whose roots 

act as sponges catching and holding the remaining iron and sediment. The 

enhanced system more than doubled the aeration capability and treatment 

capacity of the initial wetland and is now able to treat the entire Espy Run 

discharge. Water now entering Espy Run is virtually free of iron. Total project 

cost: $240,000.

Hanover 9 Reclamation Project, Phase I, Parcel A. The 390-acre Hanover 9 

property is predominantly in Hanover Township, but the 70-acre Parcel A lies 

in the city of Nanticoke. Phase I was the first of several projects undertaken 

to reclaim the entire Hanover 9 strip mine site. The project reclaimed a 37-

acre section of land adjacent to Luzerne County Community College. Crews 

graded and recontoured the site, which now offers options for mixed-use 

development and conservation. Discussions are underway to sell a portion 

of the site to a developer who plans to build student housing for the 

community college. Total project cost: $688,000.

The Hanover 9 project also includes construction of a 3.5-mile segment of 

roadway on reclaimed property that Earth Conservancy donated to the 

state. The new South Valley Parkway will reduce traffic on nearby Middle 

Road, increasing safety in the surrounding residential area and improving 

access to the community college from Interstate 81. At an estimated cost of 

$50 million, the project will open up opportunities for additional mixed-use 

development on the underutilized land in the area. 

Hanover 9 Reclamation Project, Phase II, Parcels B, C and D. Followup actions on additional Hanover 9 parcels involve filling pits, grading 

and recontouring. The entire Hanover 9 site is intended for mixed-use 

development, including recreational and green spaces. Total project cost: 

$1 million.

Water in the Espy Run wetland system exits 

this settling pond and is treated further by 

native wetland plants, such as cattails.

The entrance to Luzerne County Community 

College is just visible across this reclaimed 

section of Hanover 9, Parcel A.

Michael Dziak 

President and CEO

Earth Conservancy

Our goal is to 

revitalize land that 

was degraded and 

abandoned, and 

return that land 

to productive use. 

We’re trying to do it 

the right way and in 

the right places, with 

community support, 

to drive economic 

development in 

the county.

“

“
Bliss Bank Reclamation Projects, Phase I, Parcels A and B. Bliss Bank was 

used as a mining overburden holding area. Overburden consists of rock and 

coal fragments with a burn capacity that was too low for use in electricity 

generation or remining. Projects planned for Parcels A and B will reclaim 

approximately 40 acres of mining-scarred land. Currently in the construction 

phase, these projects are intended to prepare the sites for mixed-use 

development because of their proximity to Luzerne County Community College. 

Total project cost (projected): $1.5 million.

Bliss Bank Reclamation Projects, Phase II, Parcels C and D. Follow-up projects 

at Bliss Bank will clean up another 83 acres degraded with massive stockpiles 

of culm. In addition to grading and contouring the site, crews will perform 

significant stormwater management work on Parcel D, including construction 

of 7,100 square yards of conveyance channels and a 14-acre detention basin, as 

well as establishment of a riparian buffer. Currently in the design phase, these 

projects will prepare the site for future mixed-use development. Total project cost 

(projected): $1.5 million. 

Warrior Run Reclamation Project. This project aims to clean up approximately 

14 acres of mining debris located just outside a residential neighborhood in the 

Warrior Run Borough. Grading and recontouring will prepare this parcel for 

potential residential development due its proximity to existing transportation and 

utility infrastructure. Total project cost (projected): $273,000.

The Benefits

Earth Conservancy projects in Luzerne County are helping turn back the 

clock on nearly 200 years of neglect to the local environment. Where a 

decade ago, pits of brown, polluted water sat idle, today native plants 

grow and waterfowl swim and graze. Scarred mountainsides are 

recontoured and regraded. And, abandoned mounds of mining debris 

were removed to facilitate nature’s recovery and a return of underutilized 

land to the community as open space, recreational land and a clean slate 

for new development.

“We’ve built about 20-plus miles of trails that are open for public use,” 

Dziak says, “and we just completed a transaction with the Pennsylvania 

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources where we’re donating 

half the value of more than 3,000 acres with views overlooking the 

Susquehanna River that will stay green forever.”

Reclaiming these properties also supports the county’s rebirth and revisioning for growth in a post-coal-mining economy. “We’re generating 

interest,” Dziak says. “With the community college here, developers come 

in knowing there are opportunities. Adjacent properties are looked at more 

favorably, which helps overall growth. This will be huge for the county 

for decades.”

This reclaimed section of Hanover 9, 

Parcels B, C and D, is ready for reuse.

Construction is underway to clean up 

culm banks and other mining damage at 

the Bliss Bank site.

For more information: 

Visit the EPA Brownfields website 

at www.epa.gov/brownfields

or contact Mickey Young

at (215) 814-3069 or

young.mickey@epa.gov.

EPA 560-F-15-197

August 2015