Mine subsidence eyed in Duryea

By Joanna Klimaski (Staff Writer)

Published: September 24, 2011

DURYEA - Officials are investigating whether a patch of ground that sunk on a property in Duryea Friday afternoon is a mine subsidence.

Norma Kedulick said that around 2 p.m. she noticed the ground on her front lawn at 431 Foote Ave. had sunk a few inches below the sidewalk. By the time Duryea mayor Keith Moss and the Department of Public Works arrived, the ground had sunk even further.

"If we get another heavy rain, it'll probably go down more," Kedulick said.

It is possible that Kedulick's front lawn sank as a result of the rain, said Germania Hose Co. Fire Chief Joseph Bender. However, a full investigation will be conducted by the state Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation.

According to Bender, though, the area is notorious for subsidences. A few years earlier, a mine subsidence on Jones Street swallowed a resident's backyard pool, he said.

And just two weeks ago, a mine subsided in the backyard of Kedulick's next door neighbor, causing the ground to sink several feet.

"The four days of rain is what (caused it to sink) in the first place," said Lois Turkos, who lives next door to Kedulick. "Today it's gotten bigger with the heavy rains … that's when it started taking in the dirt and even some of the grass."

This is the third time Turko's property has been affected by a subsidence, and the second time for Kedulick.

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Scott K
"Watch Your Top"