A Vision for the Future: Repurposing a Mine to Benefit East Texas City

Former surface coal mines are taking on all sorts of new lives.

Many are turned into farmland and natural areas that support wildlife. In November 2019, Luminant’s 4,857-arcre Monticello Thermo Mine, which supplied lignite coal for electric generation from the late 1970s until its closure in 2016, was given to the city of Sulphur Springs, which is in Northeast Texas. Once Luminant is finished with the reclamation process, the city will be in the clear to create public spaces – including jogging paths, a community pond, and an amphitheater – and industrial zones to help with its economy. “There is still a lot to be done out there before its final approval,” said Brent Elliott, Ph.D., Director of the Railroad Commission’s Surface Mining and Reclamation. “Luminant is working hard to make these things a reality to provide a resource for the community in the future.” Before a vision for a property can become a reality, the RRC ensures that any reclamation work done at former surface coal mines is held to the highest standards and is protective of public safety and the environment before being released from its oversight. RRC staff is currently conducting a technical analysis of Luminant’s revised reclamation plans, which take into account the city’s intended uses for the property. Each phase of the reclamation work will be closely monitored and evaluated by RRC inspectors, and before any property is released, extensive soil testing must come back verifying its ability to support vegetation. The city of Sulphur Springs annexed the Monticello Thermo land, valued at $8.89 million, into its city limits in March 2020.

Photo courtesy of Michael Gay

The city, through its economic development corporation, plans to take advantage of some existing infrastructure from the former mine for heavy industrial use, including two 7,000foot railroad spurs on the property, to help attract major employers, according to city documents.

A variance from the original reclamation plans is to retain at least some of what has been dubbed Mount Thermo, a 140-foot-tall mound of discarded overburden from the mining process. The city would like part of the mound to become an amphitheater; however, the difficulty is ensuring the mound is both stable and that the material left behind would not cause issues with public safety or the environment. In March of 2020, before restrictions for COVID-19 took place, RRC, federal agencies, Luminant, and the city met at the former mine and were quickly making progress on cleanup plans, but those slowed during the pandemic. “Luminant is nearly finished pumping water from the pit, which is tested. Eventually, Luminant plans to gently grade and cap the area of the pit with topsoil and creating a pond,” said Jason Corley, RRC Manager of Surface Mining Inspection and Enforcement.

There are still significant challenges and years of reclamation work remaining at the former Monticello Thermo Mine before RRC gives it the green light; however, there is great optimism over the vision of Luminant and the city of Sulphur Springs for the property. “If it happens as planned, it will be a multiuse-type reclamation where parties all benefit,” Corley said.

Photo courtesy of Robert MacNabb