Abandoned mine filled with nearly 68,000 gallons of concrete after woman fell in through sinkhole

UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The work to fill an abandoned mine after a woman fell in through a sinkhole in December is almost complete.

“I just couldn’t believe it. I was in shock,” said Marilyn Wisneski, recalling how she felt when Elizabeth Pollard fell into that sinkhole outside of Monday’s Union restaurant.

It happened right across the street from her son’s business — Wisneski Westmoreland Services.

Over the last month, she’s seen a lot of work happening where that sinkhole opened up.

>> Elizabeth Pollard, woman who fell into sinkhole while looking for cat, found dead after 4-day search

“It’s been a little bit of noise, but you get used to it,” she told Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek.

After finding Pollard’s body, crews have worked to pump grout — or concrete — into the abandoned mine.

The state Department of Environmental Protection said crews have poured nearly 3,400 cubic yards — which is more than 68,000 gallons — of that grout into the mine to stabilize it.

Crews drilled 16 holes in a 200 foot area to fill it.

The DEP was unable to do an interview, but officials told Channel 11 that part of the work is done.

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The DEP said it estimates the cost to be more than $500,000. It’s being paid for with money the DEP sets aside for emergencies like this.

Wisneski said crews are doing a thorough job working to make sure this doesn’t happen again in the area, and said crews were at their offices last week.

“They went around and measured everything on the bottom, they took pictures they checked to see what was level and what wasn’t level, because if something were to happen, they could go back and look at these pictures,” Wisneski said.

While crews were searching for Pollard, they said the Monday’s Union garage that the restaurant used for storage might have to come down. Sources told Channel 11 Monday that will be the case.

The next and final phase of all of this work will start when all of the snow melts and the weather breaks. They’ll replant some grass and fix part of the restaurants’ parking lot.

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