LUZERNE, Pa. — Crews have been at the site of a mine subsidence in Luzerne County since Sunday. The subsidence opened in Toby Creek behind Luzerne Lumber near Main Street in Luzerne.
State Rep. Aaron Kaufer tells us there was a subsidence about 60 feet deep. Emergency crews brought in more than 100 loads of stone to fill in that hole and divert the water going into the mines by building a dam.
After workers had nearly filled the hole, a crack formed, allowing water from the creek to pour back into the mines.
Officials say what makes this more challenging than other mine subsidences is the constant flow of water finding ways to get into the mine and destabilize the ground around it.
Crews are working to keep all the water flowing into the Susquehanna River and not into the abandoned mines.
The DEP has not released any information on the new crack and hole.
According to State Rep. Aaron Kaufer, (R) 120th District, who has been on site with DEP crews all day, water is finding its way through the plugs crews put in place and is causing problems.
"They're trying to get some of the stuff to fill back in that stress fracture that's in there right now. So, the idea is to get some bigger stone and stuff to sort of plug the gaps of where the water is getting through right now. So, it's from the water that's going through the bank on the one side that's flowing over, and getting water underneath there right now is what they believe is happening, but we're working on getting that answered right now," Rep. Kaufer said.
Officials say they are not concerned for wildlife in the area.
There are several agencies on hand, including the Army Corps of Engineers, working together to fix the problem.
The abandoned mine is known as the old Luzerne Mine. At one point, it was called Mill Hollow Mines. It closed in the late 1960s or early 1970s, DEP officials said.
Officials tell us the area around Luzerne Lumber has been stabilized and is open.