About

Formed in 1995 by concerned conservation districts, EPCAMR represents a coalition of watershed organizations and reclamation partners. Members range from individuals to the active anthracite mining industry and co-generation power plants, to non-profit organizations, 16 county conservation districts, and other organizations in the anthracite and bituminous coal region of eastern Pennsylvania that are involved with abandoned mine reclamation issues. Counties covered by EPCAMR in Northeastern and North Central PA include: Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Dauphin, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, and Wyoming. As of the last census (2020), the population we serve equates to approximately 1.7 million people. The general purpose of the organization [EPCAMR] is to encourage the reclamation and redevelopment of land affected by past mining practices. This includes reducing hazards to health and safety, eliminating soil erosion, improving water quality, [and] returning land affected by past mining practices to productive use, thereby improving the economy of the region.

The Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR) is a nonprofit based near Wilkes-Barre that works in the region’s coal communities to improve landscapes and lives. EPCAMR was established in the mid-1990s. Today, it boasts a long track record of successfully collaborating with project partners from the business, government, academic, and nonprofit communities to accomplish our shared goals.

EPCAMR’s core activities: 

• Manages large-scale projects to reclaim abandoned mine lands for productive reuse, which aids the region’s economy
• Reduces the amount of mine-polluted water that enters the region’s streams, where it can discolor water, kill fish, and deprive people of recreational opportunities such as fishing and boating
• Provides professional services such as water quality monitoring and GIS mapping to businesses, local governments, and nonprofits
• Converts old coal mine maps into electronic versions that can be widely shared
• Beautifies communities by conducting cleanups of illegal dumpsites
• Shares environmental education lessons at schools, festivals, and other sites
• Reclaims iron oxide – a pollutant commonly found in abandoned mine drainage – from area streams and processes it into a pigment that can be used in artists’ paints and ceramic glazes

EPCAMR staff can be hired to provide these cost-effective professional services:

• Water quality monitoring and borehole monitoring
• Stream restoration and dam removal
• Watershed assessment
• Maintenance and operation of abandoned mine drainage (AMD) passive treatment systems
• GIS data and mapping services
• 3D mine pool mapping (using tools such as ArcGIS)
• Scanning/digitizing of paper mine maps and other documents
• Drone services

Contact EPCAMR to discuss:

• Any of the professional services listed above
• Land/water reclamation projects
• Reuse of former mine lands, including for solar and/or geothermal installations
• Pre-construction review of mine maps
• Mine subsidence issues
• Support that your business or employees can provide to EPCAMR, such as volunteer service during our trash cleanups and tree plantings, EITC partnerships, donations of material goods or funds, conference/event sponsorships, and major gifts for our organizational endowment fund