COLUMBUS, OH -- The Holmes Limestone Company of Walnut Creek recently received an honorable mention National Reclamation Award from the Interstate Mining Compact Commission, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
Staff members from the ODNR Division of Mineral Resources Management nominated the company for the award in recognition of its reclamation work at the Walnut Creek Coal Mine in Holmes County.
The commission said reclamation at the site far surpassed the minimum standards for timeliness and soil restoration. The company replaced topsoil/subsoil to depths of 40 to 48 inches on the entire site, although only 20 percent of the site required that depth. As a result, a greater area of the formerly mined site was returned to usable farmland.
In addition, the company employed methods to minimize or eliminate erosion and sedimentation; used underground conveyance of runoff water in lieu of rock channels; blended contours for a gentle property grade; restored gradual grade to pre-mined slopes; and reclaimed old pits for added safety at the site.
The Interstate Mining Compact Commission is made up of 20 member states. Each year the commission presents a series of awards in the areas of minerals education and in mining reclamation. This year's awards were presented on April 23 in Lexington, Kentucky.
For Further Information Contact:
Jane Beathard, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6860
-or-
Beth Wilson, ODNR Mineral Resources Management
(614) 265-6901