Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced Oct. 16 the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is beginning construction on eight additional abandoned mine land reclamation projects in southeast Iowa.
The eight projects, which represent more than $5 million in combined investment by the department, are expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
Iowa has more than 13,000 acres of AML sites located primarily in Davis, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Van Buren and Wapello counties. AML sites may include dangerous piles, embankments, high walls, pit ponds and bare acidic soils that need to be graded and neutralized for reclamation. Funding for reclamations is made available through a partnership with the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement located in the United States Department of the Interior. For more information, visit iowaagriculture.gov.
