Two mine
employees
caught in
slurry-slide
in Western
Md.; mine
shut down
after mishap
Baltimore,
Maryland
(March
10,
2009)
On
Friday,
March 6,
2009,
The
International
Coal
Group (ICG),
Vindex
Energy
Corporation
at the
Jackson
Mountain
surface
coal
mine
site,
located
off
Moores
Hollow
Road
near
Barton,
Maryland,
had an
accident
during a
routine
blast at
the mine
site.
The
Company
notified
the
Maryland
Department
of the
Environment
(MDE)
that the
blast
caused
the “end
wall” to
blow out
casting
earth
and rock
into an
adjacent
treatment
pond.
The
pond,
roughly
one half
acre in
size,
was
nearly
filled
with
overburden
materials
from the
blast,
displacing
all
water
and
sediment
over the
dam and
down
into a
steep
ravine
off the
Permit
boundary. Much
of the
sediment
was
trapped
by an
access
road
below
the
pond;
however,
significant
amounts
of
sediment
were
discharged
onto
adjacent
upland
forested
slopes
and into
a
tributary
to
Moores
Run. The
sediment,
black
and
grey,
has
coated
the
stream
channel
for an
estimated
1500-2000
feet.
Moores
Run
flows
into
Georges
Creek
downstream
of the
Town of
Barton
and
ultimately
flows
into the
North
Branch
Potomac
River at
Westernport,
Maryland.
There
were no
immediate
aquatic
life
impacts
apparent
within
the
tributary,
Moores
Run and
Georges
Creek.
A
private
water
supply
for
three
residences
in the
valley
was
damaged
interrupting
the
water
supply
to those
residences.
Vindex
has
provided
bottled
water to
the
occupied
residences
impacted
and
brought
in water
buffalos
to
provide
additional
water
within
the
residences.
Company
employees
were
trapped
in a
vehicle
following
the
incident. Neither
was hurt
seriously
and both
refused
immediate
medical
assistance. The
Mine
Safety
and
Health
Administration
(MSHA)
is
investigating
the
incident
and have
issued a
K-Order,
shutting
down the
mine
site.
MDE
staff
responded
to the
site
immediately
and
continues
monitoring
the
location.
MDE and
MSHA
continue
to
investigate
the
incident.
