DEP stated Thursday that it was uncertain if the orange-tinted water surfacing in multiple west side locations was due to the mine subsidence in Luzerne on April 14 in Toby’s Creek.
DEP spokesperson Colleen Connolly mentioned that a lot of the places where water was seen are above abandoned mines, which are common throughout the Wyoming Valley due to its history of coal mining.
In recent days, DEP conducted on-site visits to the locations and documented the occurrences, many of which had been previously reported to the department.
Connolly specifically noted that the water observed on Simpson Street in Swoyersville typically occurs every 5-6 years, and the water pooling in the Little League Field on Tripp Street in Forty Fort has happened before, which the DEP is aware of.
The statement mentioned that high water levels from underground mines typically occur after heavy precipitation, leading to water runoff or pooling on the surface.
DEP pointed out that the orange tint in the water is caused by iron coming out of solution.
The Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR), a nonprofit organization working on mine scarred land reclamation, collected water samples on April 16.
Those findings can be viewed in full on the EPCAMR Facebook page. EPCAMR Facebook page provides information on the findings.
Officials urged residents through a post on the Forty Fort Borough Facebook page to consider the water “hazardous” and to keep pets away from the area.
DEP also addressed complaints it received about a sewage, sulfur-like smell in the Duryea, Pittston, and West Pittston areas.
DEP currently cannot link the odors back to the subsidence or any underground mining issue.
DEP has been investigating the source of the odor and was in contact with some sewage treatment plants to discuss their operations.
