Water buildup in abandoned mine causing flooding in Johnstown: could it happen again?
Officials say it was about 10 a.m. Saturday water started building up on franklin street in Johnstown around Valley Pike.
They said the Department of Environmental Protection and its Bureau of Mines were on scene.
“They determined that it was an old mine subsidence,” City of Johnstown public works director Jared Campagna said. “I guess the water built up over the last five days with the rain that we had filled the mine and broke loose.”
He said it is possible that could happen again at an abandoned mine in the city.
“I don't know that any system is set up to deal with five inches of rain in the short period of time like we had,” Campagna said. “So, could it happen again? Yes.”
But according to Campagna... In his time as the public works director... This is the first time he is dealing with flooding caused by an abandoned mine.
He has a few suggestions for anyone that may live near a mine.
“Heir on the side of caution if you do live close to it. I certainly wouldn't take it upon yourself to go inspect anything,” Campagna said. “If you can see anything from a distance that looks out of the ordinary, contact the bureau of mines, and allow them to get a professional out to it.”
He adds that they are confident the hillside is stable and will not end up with a landslide at that spot.
There were city workers on Franklin Street Monday working on cleaning up the mess and mud along the road and sidewalks.
A spokesperson with the DEP stresses that since much of the area had mining, they want people to make sure they know if they are at risk of mine subsidence or not, which can be done on the DEP website.
The Biden Administration recently announcing nearly $250 million to 'address dangerous and polluting abandoned mine lands' in Pennsylvania.
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