State report says more than 1,000 mine hazards found, 586 secured

ELKO -- A report by the Nevada Division of Minerals said 1,054 new abandoned mine hazards were discovered statewide in 2008, while 586 known hazards were secured.

The number secured was down 2.3 percent from 2007. But Mike Visher, the division's chief of the abandoned mines program, said the number "ebbs and flows" each year based on the number of contractors the division can afford to hire.

He also said many of the "hot spots" near cities and towns already have been secured over the years, which could account for the decline.

Since 1987, the division has discovered and ranked 13,735 abandoned mine hazards statewide. Of those, 9,845 have been secured.

The largest numbers of hazards discovered and secured are in Clark County, which has 2,045 discovered hazards and 1,379 secured hazards, followed by Esmeralda County, which has 1,890 discovered hazards and 1,338 secured hazards.

Elko County has 383 discovered hazards, and 296 of them have been secured over the years, according to the report.

The division sponsors the "Stay Out, Stay Alive" campaign in Nevada, and keeps track of identified hazards and work done to make them safe. It also logs accidents at abandoned mines.

In 2008, the agency said, one person was killed and another injured in two separate accidents at abandoned Nevada mines.