Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection investigating Fayette County homes possibly damaged by mine subsidence
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) - Earlier this week, learned about mine subsidence causing homes to shift and crack in Washington Township, Fayette County.
On Friday, an update was provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
The DEP's Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation investigated nine homes on Mutich and Hollywood Streets and crews found six of the homes had significant damage in the basements with slight to moderate damage on the main floors.
Washington Township homes damaged by possible mine subsidence
According to the DEP, an abandoned coal mine, known as the Tremont Mine, maybe the source of the subsidence.
Mine subsidence occurs when an old mine shifts or collapses underground.
Their crews are planning for a possible emergency construction contract, which could involve drilling into the mine to fill the mine voids with concrete, which could stabilize the mine and the ground underneath the homes.
That must be approved by the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
This is not the first time that subsidence has been a problem in the township.
It happened on Smithfield Street in June 2020 and in the area of Grace Street and Perry Avenue in September 2022.
A map from the Department of Environmental Protection shows that nearly all of the township is "undermined" as a result of the extent of historic mining in the area.