CEDAR GROVE, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Kanawha County officials are monitoring a mine that is reportedly leaking a significant amount of water into Kelleys Creek, but authorities say no evacuation order has been issued.
Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango said Monday afternoon that the West Virginia Division of Highways was working on Goose Creek Road in Mammoth when workers reported that a nearby mine was leaking water and raised concerns about a potentially dangerous situation.
Salango said regulatory agencies responded along with local volunteer fire departments and Kanawha County Emergency Management.
According to Salango, the leaking water raised the level of Kelleys Creek, but the creek was handling the additional water and he had not observed any flooding issues.
“The regulatory agencies did not express any concern for a blow out or other dangerous issue,” Salango said.
In an update around 5:40 p.m., Salango said officials had spoken with firefighters at the scene and were not aware of any evacuation orders.
Kanawha County Emergency Management also addressed reports surrounding the incident, saying it had not received official notification from any regulatory agency of an active evacuation involving the mine leak in the Kelleys Creek area of Cedar Grove.
“At this time, there is no evacuation order from Kanawha County Emergency Management related to this incident,” the agency said.
Emergency management officials encouraged residents to rely on official emergency management and regulatory agency notifications for verified information and instructions.
Salango said officials would continue monitoring the situation and checking whether any other mines were experiencing similar issues.
