Good News for Duke Lake

State orders coal firm to pay for damaging state park dam

Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The state Department of Environmental Protection today announced it has ordered Consol Pennsylvania Coal Co. to repair a dam that was damaged by longwall mining in Richhill Township, Greene County.

An initial report, released in February, faulted Consol for ground movements associated with operations at the company's Bailey Mine, which damaged Ryerson Station Dam and Duke Lake in the spring and summer of 2005.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which oversees the dam as part of Ryerson Station State Park, filed the initial complaint.

According to a news release, the DEP ordered Consol to pay the DCNR $1,042,625 for the cost of repairing the dam and for future expenses related to completing the repair plans.

The release said Consol conducted longwall mining in two areas closest to Ryerson Station Dam that had been mined at that time. "By summer 2005, the 515-foot concrete structure sustained damage that jeopardized its integrity. Shortly thereafter, DEP determined that it was necessary to breach the dam, so DCNR removed a portion of the dam spillway in August 2005 to prevent the reservoir from refilling after heavy rains and runoff, which could have further stressed it."

Breaching the dam also drained the 62-acre Duke Lake, which the dam created.

Consol will most likely tell the DEP to go pound salt

i agree

Hey Flyway,
 
I think its about fracin' time!  The refilled lake would make a good place to suck water out of.
 
 
I fished below the spillway for carp the night before they drained it.  I will stand by my word, it had a leak, the same one it had for the previous 4 years.  It was NOT endangering anyone living downstream.
 
IDK if it was caused by the mining done in the area, but it went down in an extremely fishy manner.  No announcement, just random middle of the week draining.  Surprised they didn't do it overnight. 
 
Not a conspiracy theorist, however, I find it interesting how many lakes the state has drained in that area.  Waynesburg waterdam, duke, and dutch fork. all in a matter of a couple of years. why?

ORIGINAL: tippecanoe


Not a conspiracy theorist, however, I find it interesting how many lakes the state has drained in that area.  Waynesburg waterdam, duke, and dutch fork. all in a matter of a couple of years. why?

You're sounding like outdoor adventure dude...