BIG MINE RUN - During the late winter and early spring, residents of Big Mine Run and those who travel through the area see how powerful water pressure can be.
The annual occurrence of a mine water geyser in the Butler Township village can be timed with snow melting from the nearby mountains, heavy rains and drainage from the former Bast Colliery. The height of the geyser has fluctuated over time, but the current geyser reached at least 12 feet from the torrential rains last week. Two weeks ago, there was no geyser, and as water runoff decreases, the geyser will disappear.
The geyser erupts through a hole in a drainage pipe that directs the storm water and mine water from the mountain, under the local streets and into the nearby Mahanoy Creek. Since the water shooting into the air is on the south side of Big Mine Run Road, the water is away from local homes. There is also water coming up through the ground near the geyser that flows into the creek.
From the Pottsvile Republican
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