Reducing Public Danger & Liability: An Abandoned Portal Closure Project

After a group of teens entered an abandoned mine portal and posted their potentially deadly exploration on social media, Micon was entrusted to permanently mitigate the public danger. Field factors included pumping cement fill over a 380' total elevation drop and more than 1,000 linear feet, three mine openings in a crumbling, unstable brick building, intermittent low oxygen levels at fill sites, and remote, steep terrain with dense vegetation.

A group of teens entered an abandoned mine portal and posted their potentially deadly exploration on social media. Micon was entrusted to mitigate the public danger permanently.

The design of this civil mine closure project involved complex field factors:

• Gravitational complications of pumping cement fill over a 380' total elevation drop and over 1,000 linear feet
• 3 separate mine openings in a crumbling, unstable brick building
• Intermittent low oxygen levels at flowable fill installation sites
• Remote, steep terrain and dense vegetation

Micon successfully installed over 300 cubic yards of fast-setting cementitious material to fill the portals and building, requiring more than 25 concrete mixer loads. Despite record heat that challenged the consistency and proper cure of both the pumping lines and the final fill location, Micon completed the project ahead of schedule and on budget.