Mine subsidence cited in shifting foundations

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

State environmental officials say subsidence of an abandoned coal mine below a Pittsburgh-area borough caused homes to shift on their foundations, prompting several evacuations.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says regulators plan to fill the mine below the Mount Oliver neighborhood.

Spokesman John Poister of the Department of Environmental Protection says workers have identified a dozen homes with structural damage after the ground began shifting last week.

Some residents had suspected that a broken waterline might be to blame, but water company officials said that was unlikely due to the small volume of last week’s leak.

Poister says officials were fast-tracking their response, studying maps and compiling a report Monday. He says they hope to have cost estimates today so workers can start filling the mine by next week.