Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is beginning construction on seven additional abandoned mine land reclamation projects in southeast Iowa, four of which are occurring in Marion County. All projects, which represent nearly $10 million in combined investment by the Department, are expected to begin construction this month and are anticipated to be complete by the end of 2025.

“When we successfully reclaim these abandoned coal mine sites, we are not only improving water quality and bolstering soil health, but we are also turning these parcels back into land that can be productive again. This is yet another way we are demonstrating the continued acceleration of our statewide water quality and soil conservation work,” said Secretary Naig. “Over the past four decades, we’ve successfully rehabilitated approximately 120 sites, and we want to continue to work with interested landowners and other partners to do even more work in the years and decades ahead.”

Coal mining began in Iowa as early as the 1840s with coal production peaking around 1917. Years later, the federal government enacted the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, which required companies to remove hazards and stabilize coal mines after they finished mining. This legislation paved the way for the Department’s AML program, which began in 1983. Iowa has more than 13,000 acres of AML sites located primarily in Davis, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Van Buren and Wapello counties.

AML sites may include dangerous piles, embankments, highwalls, pit ponds and bare acidic soils that need to be graded and neutralized for reclamation. Funding for reclamations is made available through a partnership with the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement, located in the United States Department of the Interior.

These seven projects are in addition to five others currently in construction. An additional 19 sites are in the design and planning phase. Approximately 120 projects have been completed during the past four decades, with a total investment of nearly $103 million dollars. There are approximately 140 sites awaiting reclamation.

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Name of Project: Pella North and Pella South (Dutch Hollow)
Construction Bid Awarded: August 2024
Anticipated Completion: December 2025
Approximate Cost: $3.985 million
Approximate Size: 162 acres

Partners: Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Pathfinders RC&D, and Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District, Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) and Shive-Hattery Engineering.

Details: This is the largest project the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has taken on, in one contract, in the program’s 41-year history. Known locally as “Dutch Hollow,” the land has been owned by the State of Iowa since it was acquired in 1952 and 1953. It is managed by the DNR. From the 1930s into the 1950s, it was mined for coal. Topsoil was stripped and buried with shale and other acid forming materials, therefore leaving behind dangerous pit ponds, highwalls and spoil piles. Today, it is overgrown with invasive plants and traversing through the land is very difficult, which severely limits its public use. The reclamation aims to return the site back to pre-mining conditions by moving 1,345,500 cubic yards of earthwork, mitigating clogged stream lands, removing dangerous piles and embankments, and cleaning-up waterbodies. Approximately 7,000 tons of lime, which equates to 43 tons per acre, will be added to neutralize the soil. All of this will allow the site to vegetatively start over and allow for some oak tree plantings and native prairie restoration at the wildlife management area. Wetlands will be restored, which will attract waterfowl and improve wildlife diversity. The restoration of prairie habitat, along with the addition of 22,500 feet of terrace, will attract grassland birds, quail and pheasants. Ultimately, the public will benefit from added opportunities for wildlife viewing, hiking and hunting.
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Name of Project: Kuiper
Location: Marion County
Construction Bid Awarded: August 2024
Anticipated Completion: December 2025
Approximate Cost: $1.894 Million
Approximate Size: 81.2 Acres
Partners: Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District, Pathfinders RC&D, Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) and L T Leon Associates.

Details: The reclamation will involve the movement of 682,000 cubic yards of earthwork. The plan involves mitigating dangerous piles and embankments, removing highwalls, cleaning up waterbodies, and eliminating industrial and residential waste.
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Name of Project: Vanderzyl
Location: Marion County
Construction Bid Awarded: August 2024
Anticipated Completion: December 2025
Approximate Cost: $1.6 Million
Approximate Size: 57 Acres
Partners: Pathfinders RC&D, Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District, Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) and Trihydro Corporation.

Details: The reclamation will involve the excavation of 544,917 cubic yards of earthwork, which includes mitigating highwalls and unclogging stream land.
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Name of Project: Vanderzyl East
Location: Marion County
Construction Bid Awarded: September 2024
Anticipated Completion: December 2025
Approximate Cost: Estimated at $950,000
Approximate Size: 29.5 Acres
Partners: Pathfinders RC&D, Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE)

Details: The reclamation will involve the excavation of 320,600 cubic yards of earthwork, which includes mitigating clogged stream land.