Decades ago, the Blue Coal Corporation used Bliss Bank to store mine waste. After the area was abandoned, it sat idle for years, a toxic eyesore of piled mine waste and pools of stagnant water. The neglected site was a hotbed for illegal activity, including trash dumping and ATV trespassing. Runoff from the site also polluted waterways in the Nanticoke Creek watershed.
With funding from the Environmental Stewardship Fund, the Earth Conservancy has restored the site, clearing away hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of mine waste and transforming nearly 50 acres of toxic, lifeless land into a safe, usable space. The restoration project has involved filling pits, planting grass and native vegetation, and implementing features to manage stormwater. Besides the environmental and aesthetic benefits, the project has curtailed the illegal activities once common at the site.
The project is ongoing—the Earth Conservancy is currently restoring another 54 acres of the 200-acre site. In the future, the site will likely host mixed-use development, which will boost the local economy while protecting open space that would otherwise be developed.
