SWOYERSVILLE, Pa. -- Work to remove a culm bank from one Luzerne County community began this week.
The massive culm bank in Swoyersville has been there for decades, and work has finally begun to remove it.
"It's been here forever, and I lived in Kingston for 13 years, and I used to drive by it every day to go to work because I worked in Exeter," said David Storm.
A DEP spokesperson says this is 4.5 million tons of coal waste. It'll take about 10 years to remove it.
"I know they said they were going to start it back in November, but it's probably better to start it now in the spring when it's warmer out," said business owner Laura Hufford.
A DEP spokesperson says about 30 to 40 truckloads of the coal waste will be removed each day, and inspections will be done regularly to monitor the dust from the removal.
After all the waste is taken from the site, the land will be given back to the borough.
"It's dreary in the winter, but in the springtime, it does look beautiful, but I do believe that the future of it coming down is overall beneficial for everyone's health. It's going to be a lot more beautiful and offer a lot more to the community," Hufford said.
As the coal waste is removed, it will be taken to a co-generation plant in Northampton County to be used as fuel.