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Board seeks local information about abandoned mines after reports of "red water" in waterways
Summary
Board members discussed collecting community knowledge about historic, uncapped mines and mapping them to support public safety, environmental review and potential CO2 sequestration planning.
Board members discussed an effort to locate and map abandoned mines across Vermillion County after residents reported some creeks turning red in spring and concerns about uncapped shafts. The board said state DNR maps are incomplete for local sealed mines and that much of the knowledge is word-of-mouth.
Members said mapping abandoned mines could support several uses: public-safety inspections, prioritizing capping or remediation, and informing any future subsurface projects such as CO2 sequestration where leak paths matter. One board member said local contractors and residents who know likely mine locations could help identify sites for verification.
The board did not adopt a formal survey contract for mine mapping at this meeting but directed staff to continue collecting local reports and to seek input from local experts and contractors on verification and next steps.
