OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION & ENFORCEMENT

For Release October 17, 1995
Jerry Childress (202) 208-2719

INTERIOR SECRETARY BABBITT ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF NATIONAL ABANDONED
MINE LAND RECLAMATION AWARDS

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt today announced that
abandoned mine land (AML) reclamation projects in Colorado, New
Mexico, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming are winners of
1994 National Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation awards.

Each year the Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), sponsor of the competition,
examines nominated projects and honors the best examples of
abandoned mine land reclamation. Winners are selected by a panel of
judges from OSM and other Interior Department agencies.

OSM Director Robert J. Uram presented the 1994 awards, including
the first Director's Award for outstanding achievement in a special
area of AML reclamation, on October 17, 1995, at the National
Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs annual meeting in
French Lick, Indiana.

The Tennessee Division of Land Reclamation's Meadow Creek Project,
which successfully eliminated acid mine drainage from an abandoned
mine near Monterey, Tennessee, is the winner of the 1994 Director's
Award. The award was presented for reclamation that best eliminated
acid mine drainage problems. OSM has made the restoration of
polluted rivers and streams one of its highest priorities.

Reclamation at Meadow Creek involved treating an artesian discharge
from a large bore hole that serviced the abandoned Fentress mine.
The water discharge deposited iron over five acres, killing all
vegetation, before draining into Meadow Creek. Reclamation
technology at the site included use of a limestone drain and rock
outcrop riffler to remove iron from the water, which is then
released, acid free, into the creek. Other award-winning projects:

--The Colorado Inactive Mine Reclamation Program's City of Mines
Project, Independence Mine and Mill, in the tourist town of Victor,
Colorado, closed dangerous abandoned mine openings in one of the
state's most significant historic gold-producing areas. Preserving
important historical features of the mine site was an important
consideration during reclamation. This successful project
complements the community's goal of encouraging tourism by ensuring
the safety of the thousands of visitors who tour the complex each
year.

--The New Mexico Abandoned Mine Land Bureau's Gage Mine Safeguard
Project, near Deming, New Mexico, reclaimed over 150 dangerous
shafts, adits, and other openings in the ghost town of Mine Hill.
The project preserved the historical nature of the site and ensures
the safety of visitors to the town as well as the bats that inhabit
the area.

--The Ohio Division of Reclamation's Middle Fork Duck Creek
Watershed Project, near Caldwell, Ohio, included 10 abandoned mine
land projects undertaken in cooperation with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Rural Abandoned Mine Program. The project reclaimed
more than 1,000 acres of widespread erosion and sedimentation in
the watershed. The cooperative effort has reduced erosion by more
than 76,380 tons per year, eliminated flooding, and restored a
flourishing wildlife habitat.

--The Tennessee Division of Land Reclamation's Rattlesnake
Reclamation Project reclaimed an acid mine drainage site near
Chattanooga, Tennessee. A series of four constructed wetlands have
eliminated abandoned mine problems, restored the water quality of
a nearby stream, and established a wildlife habitat.

--The Utah Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program's Summit Reclamation
Project closed dangerous abandoned gold and silver mine shafts and
portals in Utah's American Fork Canyon area. The site is important
both as a regional recreation area and as a critical winter habitat
for bats. Special steel grates were installed to allow bats access
but keep people out.

--The Virginia Division of Mined Land Reclamation's North Fork
Watershed Project reclaimed abandoned underground, surface, and
auger mines in Flat Gap, Virginia. Acid drainage from the mines was
polluting the headwaters of the North Fork River and killing fish
in a reservoir downstream. The successful project has improved
water quality and restored the area's sport fishery.

--The Aladdin Coal Tipple Interpretive Site, located in the scenic
northeast corner of Wyoming, was the first coal mine in the region.
Reclamation preserved the site's historic integrity and rebuilt
many of its structures, allowing today's visitors to learn about
early coal mining in the American West.

--The Rock Springs Subsidence Abatement and Public Utility Repair
Project, in downtown Rock Springs, Wyoming, reclaimed 900 acres of
serious subsidence problems left over from underground coal mining
during the early 1900s. The $57 million subsidence stabilization
project has saved more than 1,600 homes and 50 businesses. It has
also repaired streets, sidewalks, and curbs on more than 100 city
blocks, and helped repair most of the city's utilities.

"These national winners have properly established hallmarks of
excellence for their outstanding dedication and efforts to reclaim
our abandoned mine lands and safeguard the environment," Babbitt
said. "I commend them for their efforts to preserve the environment
for future generations."