A mine reclamation project is underway to help remedy a water issue throughout portions of Tamaqua.

Mine damage has affected the basements of 13 homes in and along Schuylkill Avenue, Chestnut Street, Brew Street, Locust Street, East Elm Street, and the alley behind Brew Street.Borough manager Kevin Steigerwalt said the homes have been getting water in their basements for years."There's been an ongoing problem there with people getting groundwater and acid mine drainage," Steigerwalt said. "It's the iron coming out of the ground, and the mine water is acidic, and it turns into rust."The state Department of Environmental Protection Agency has prepared the plan to eliminate a public health and safety hazard caused by mine drainage.The project's significant items of work include pipe, manhole and inlet box installation, drainage excavation and paving.It will collect mine drainage through perforated pipes and a series of drainage inlets which will convey the drainage through solid pipe.Colleen Connolly, DEP Regional spokeswoman, said the project will install perforated piping to draw water out of the basements, into a centralized pipe from the home, and leading to the main storm sewer line in the street, to send the water in the homes to the storm system.Connolly said the project relies on the perforated piping to redirect water that is leading from the mine pool into the basements to a centralized pipe or sewer line, instead of flowing into homes.Steigerwalt said DEP recently held a pre-construction meeting, and the contractor, T. Brennan Heavy Equipment LLC, of Carbondale, Lackawanna County, was given notice to proceed.The bid is for $592,648, and the project will be paid for from Pennsylvania's Abandoned Mine Land Grant.The project began Feb. 7, and is scheduled to end Feb. 1, 2017.