The hearing will be held at 2 p.m. April 1 at the DEP mining Office in Knox, and is open to the public.

TDK Coal Sales Inc. of Brockway applied for Stage I and Stage II bond release for the Weaver II Mine last October, indicating the company feels it has finished mining operations, re-graded the land and re-vegetated the area to meet regulations, including those relating to the quality of water draining from the mine site. If approved, TDK would receive the bond money it posted for the mine.

But Highland Township supervisor Gene Lerch says water from the site is polluted with acid mine discharge which is affecting ground water in the area.

Lerch has expressed concern about the mine site for several years, and had brought iron-stained water to the attention of DEP officials, pointing to red water flowing in a roadside ditch beside the Weaver II site.

Lerch says DEP officials have told him they believe the bad water comes from an old deep mine dug many years ago and that the Weaver II operation did not cause the problem.

Lerch said most recently that acid mine discharge  had been flowing into McGourney Run, but now there is no sign the red water typically seen from this type of pollution. He said he feels this means the water is now seeping into ground water aquifers.

DEP approved the use of alkaline materials at the mine as a way to neutralize natural acid-causing materials in the bedrock, thereby avoiding acid mine drainage problems.

TDK’s first attempt at a mining permit for the site saw significant public opposition and was rejected by DEP in the mid-1990s after am public hearing. The company reapplied a few years later, and a mining permit was issued in 1998.

The bond release application, plans and other information are available for public review at the Knox Mining Office in the white Memorial Building along Best Avenue in Knox. Interested parties may call 797-1191 for an appointment to view these documents.