Jurisdiction: Abandoned Mine Lands
2003 Completed Projects Archive
Beulah/Zap Phase VII AML Project
The 2003 Beulah/Zap abandoned mine reclamation sites were located 1) along US Highway 200 about one mile north of Beulah, 2) within a residential area in Beulah and 3) along Mercer County Highway 13 about one mile south of Zap.
This project began July 1 and was completed August 4, 2003. The contractors were Thiem Drilling, Inc., of Williston,
ND, (grouting) and Geoserv Inc., of Bismarck, ND (material testing). The total amount paid was $276,279.
This was the seventh in a continuing series of projects designed to address all high-priority undermined sites near
Beulah and Zap. The Beulah/Zap project sites are one of the most heavily mined areas in the state and over $5 million
have been spent on reclamation projects at these sites since 1980.
The reclamation method used for this project was pressurized grout remote backfilling. In this method, grout was pumped under pressure through drilled holes into underground coal mine workings. The grout filled the mined cavities and reduced the likelihood of mine collapse and dangerous sinkholes.
A total of 4650 cubic yards (582 truckloads) of grout were injected mainly into mined workings beneath the right-of-way of US Highway 200. Confirmation drilling was conducted at Sun Valley Court in Beulah, the site of a 1992 grouting project (Eagles Club Project). Thirty eight holes were drilled at this site and one of them intercepted rubble from collapsed mined workings. One load, 8 cubic yards, of grout was injected to fill this mine cavity. Exploratory drilling on Mercer County Highway 13, south of Zap, identified additional undermined areas beneath this road. Grout injection was not finished at the Beulah sites and has not begun at the Zap site. More reclamation work is certainly needed at the Beulah/Zap sites and additional phases of this project should continue into the future.
The following are photos of the project site:
- Beulah/Zap Phase VII Photo 1 (36kb pdf)
- Beulah/Zap Phase VII Photo 2 (55kb pdf)
- Beulah/Zap Phase VII Photo 3 (58kb pdf)
Buechler/Garrison AML Project
The 2003 Buechler/Garrison abandoned mine reclamation sites were located along ND Highway 23 about eight miles south of Sawyer, ND, in Ward County and within residential areas in and near Garrison, ND in McLean County.
This project began August 4 and was completed October 20, 2003. The contractors were Thiem Drilling, Inc., of Williston, ND, (grouting) and Material Testing Services, Inc., of Minot, ND (material testing). The total amount paid was $228,239.
The reclamation method used for this project was pressurized grout remote backfilling. In this method, grout was pumped under pressure through drilled holes into underground coal mine workings. The grout filled mined cavities and reduced the likelihood of mine collapse and dangerous sinkholes.
A total of 2283 cubic yards (about 285 truckloads) of grout were injected into mined workings beneath the right-of-way of ND Highway 23. Exploratory drilling was conducted at Shempps Third Addition in Garrison and South Garrison Addition. A geophysical survey using cross-hole radar was performed at the Garrison sites by Marino Engineering Associates, Inc. of Urbana, IL. Several undermined areas were identified at the Garrison sites and additional work is planned there in 2004.
The following are photos of the project sites:
- Buechler/Garrison 1 (31kb pdf)
- Buechler/Garrison 2 (196kb pdf)
Columbus (5) AML Project
The Columbus Phase 5 AML Project Site is located approximately 4 miles south and 1 mile west of Columbus, North Dakota. The project site is within the SW1/4 of Section 19, T162N, R93W, in Burke County. This project site contains 42 acres of an approximately 1280 acres surface mine. The project entailed the elimination of 1200 feet of dangerous highwall left at the old Truax–Traer surface coal mine. Reclamation work on this site started on June 9, 2003. Project Manager and Engineer for the project was Mark Knell. The contractor, Quality Construction Inc., moved approximately 125,000 cubic yards of soil material to eliminate the hazardous highwalls from a 42 acre area. The contractor utilized a fleet of construction equipment, which included scrapers and dozers. Approximately 2000 cubic yards of a coal slack type soil amendment was respread on the disturbed areas. This material was then mixed into the spoil material prior to topsoil respread operations. Topsoil material was salvaged prior to spoil dirt work operations then respread following completion of the dirt work. On August 13, 2003 the dirt work at the Columbus Phase 5 project was completed. The project area was fertilized, seeded and mulched on September 22-25, 2003. The project inspector was Larry Reisenauer. The project was completed for $174,469.02. The following are photos of the site:
- Columbus 5 pre-reclamation (798kb jpg)
- Columbus 5 post-reclamation (209kb jpg)
Lehigh Road Phase VIII AML Project
The 2003 Lehigh Road VIII abandoned mine reclamation site was located along portions of Lehigh Road, Lehigh Drive, other unnamed county roads and private property about 3 miles southeast of Dickinson, in Stark County, North Dakota. For now, completion of this project marks the last of eight consecutive projects conducted near the Lehigh area. Additional work remains in various areas around this old mining district, although higher priority projects in other areas of the state will be pursued first.
The general contractor was Thiem Drilling, Inc. of Williston and the material testing engineering firm hired for the job was Geoserv, Inc. of Bismarck. Contracts with both firms were signed on May 21, 2003. Both projects were closed out on November 5, 2003.
The reclamation method used for this project was pressurized grout remote backfilling. In this method, grout was pumped under pressure through drilled holes into underground coal mine workings. The grout filled mined cavities and reduced the likelihood of mine collapse and dangerous sinkholes.
Over 16,000 feet of drilling was accomplished and 3,000 cubic yards of grout pumped by the general contractor at a cost of $211,617. The material testing firm collected and tested 180 cylinders of grout at a cost of $9026.