Proposed contract would turn South Huntingdon coal refuse into potential industrial site

A coal refuse pile in South Huntingdon that has been a source of pollution in adjacent Sewickley Creek for decades could soon be transformed into a site for potential industrial development.

Latrobe-based Robindale Energy Services plans to remove about 85% of the coal refuse, known as the Soberdash Pile, and reclaim the 17-acre site located between Elderaldo Road and the creek, not far from Hunker. The work would be completed under a proposed contract subject to review by the state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Office of Surface Mining.

The pile was accumulated at the site between 1939 and 1952, consisting of waste material from a coal preparation plant operated by the Keystone Coal and Coke Company, according to DEP spokesperson Lauren Fraley.

If the project is approved, she said, Robindale Energy would screen about 350,000 tons of coal located on a 12-acre section of the site. It’s estimated the company can remove about 297,500 tons and sell it for use in power generation.

The remaining mix of oversized rocks and burnt material, known as red dog, would be used in grading the site, Fraley said.

She said Robindale Energy would be required to transform the area into an “unmanaged natural habitat” with the potential for future industrial use. The DEP has not received any applications for use of the site once it’s reclaimed.

The proposed contract does not include extracting additional coal from the ground, she said.

Robindale Energy is seeking a permit to cover any stormwater discharges associated with the work.

As it stands now, Fraley said, the refuse pile has “little or no vegetative growth stabilizing the material.” Rain and snow that falls on the pile seeps out and degrades the water quality of Sewickley Creek, she said, adding that the pile also poses a safety hazard with its steep slopes and instability.

The project is expected to reduce mine drainage into the creek, which is a designated warm water fishery.

“It’s been a concern for the watershed and for the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation,” said Rob Cronauer, president of the Sewickley Creek Watershed Association. In addition to polluting the creek, he said, some of the coal refuse has fallen onto adjacent train tracks that are used by the corporation for its freight rail system, creating a repeated maintenance issue.

The area also is the source of an abandoned mine discharge that affects the creek and is being addressed by the Clean Streams Foundation of Lexington, Ky., according to Cronauer.

“There is a significant impact,” he said. “You can see orange water going from that discharge into the Sewickley Creek.”

A virtual public meeting concerning the refuse pile reclamation project is scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 3. Registration is required at least 24 hours in advance by contacting Fraley at lfraley@pa.gov or 412-442-4203.