# Witcher Creek Surface Mine

- **MSHA mine ID:** 4609341
- **Status:** Active
- **Type / commodity:** Surface / Coal (Bituminous)
- **Location:** Kanawha, WV
- **Operator:** Silver Horse Services, LLC
- **Controller:** Martha A Ward
- **Public source rows linked:** 649
- **Source coverage:** 14 / 20
- **Generated:** 2026-10-13T11:26:59.401Z

## Current entity hierarchy

**Martha A Ward (0169123) → Silver Horse Services, LLC (0182694) → Witcher Creek Surface Mine (4609341)**

Current identity source: `msha-mines`. This is a current snapshot, not a historical claim.

## Controller and operator valid-time history

- **Magnum Coal Company → Catenary Coal Company LLC:** 2009-08-28 through 2008-07-22; derived from co-tenure at mine 4609341; source `msha-controller-operator-history`.
- **Patriot Coal Corporation → Catenary Coal Company LLC:** 2009-08-28 through 2016-03-21; derived from co-tenure at mine 4609341; source `msha-controller-operator-history`.
- **Ashland Inc et al → Catenary Coal Company LLC:** 2009-08-28 through 2005-12-30; derived from co-tenure at mine 4609341; source `msha-controller-operator-history`.
- **Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund (VCLF) → ERP Environmental Fund Inc.:** 2016-03-22 through 2017-01-25; derived from co-tenure at mine 4609341; source `msha-controller-operator-history`.
- **Kissito Healthcare Inc → ERP Environmental Fund Inc.:** 2017-01-26 through 2018-12-31; derived from co-tenure at mine 4609341; source `msha-controller-operator-history`.
- **Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund (VCLF) → ERP Environmental Fund Inc.:** 2019-01-01 through 2019-01-10; derived from co-tenure at mine 4609341; source `msha-controller-operator-history`.
- **Douglas M  Epling et al → Hanover Resources, LLC:** 2019-01-11 through 2021-06-01; derived from co-tenure at mine 4609341; source `msha-controller-operator-history`.
- **Ralph  Ballard → Investment Management Group, LLC:** 2021-06-02 through 2022-05-10; derived from co-tenure at mine 4609341; source `msha-controller-operator-history`.
- **Martha A Ward → Silver Horse Services, LLC:** 2022-05-11 through current/open; derived from co-tenure at mine 4609341; source `msha-controller-operator-history`.

- History rows: 9
- Typed edges: 23
- Interval anomalies: 2
- Valid-time bounds: inclusive; date granularity; null end means open-ended in the upstream history row; not independent proof of present control.
- Transaction-time observation: 2026-10-13T11:19:05.459773+00:00.

## Assessment signals

1. **SAFETY — 3 since 2021:** Accidents and injuries 3 historical accident/injury rows; 0 coded fatalities and 336 lost days across the published record.
2. **COMPLIANCE — 73 since 2021:** Violations and penalties 80 violation rows across the full record; 1 carry an S&S flag and $15,313 appears in current assessed amounts.
3. **HEALTH — 284 samples:** Occupational health samples 225 coal dust; 21 coal quartz; 38 noise. 0 personal-sample rows have a published C/E ratio above 1; 1 noise rows have an action-level or PEL dose above 100%. These are separate measures, not a silica exceedance count. Silica results and sample status are shown separately.
4. **PRODUCTION — 44K tons:** Quarterly production and employment 26K employee hours and 50 summed average employees across reported subunits in the latest published quarter.
5. **LEGAL — 0 linked rows:** Contests, conferences and decisions 0 contested-violation rows, 0 civil-penalty docket/decision rows, and 0 conference records linked by issuance number.
6. **CONTRACTORS — 1 linked entities:** Contractors Contractors are linked through this mine’s violation or accident records. Their production and hours cover all their operations, so they are not included in this mine’s totals.
7. **INSPECTIONS — 44 since 2021:** Inspections 72 inspection events and 2K published inspection hours across the historical record.

## EIA annual operating context

- **Reporting year:** 2024
- **Production:** 140,210 short tons
- **Labor hours:** 108,787
- **Average employees:** 44
- **Coal supply region:** Appalachia Central
- **Union code:** Not published
- **Published rows under this MSHA ID:** 1

## Recent Title 30 crosswalk

Snapshot current through 2026-08-19.

- **30 CFR 77.404 — Machinery and equipment; operation and maintenance.** (1 retained recent row) — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-30/chapter-I/subchapter-O/part-77/subpart-E/section-77.404
- **30 CFR 71.403 — Waiver of surface facilities requirements; posting of waiver.** (1 retained recent row) — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-30/chapter-I/subchapter-O/part-71/subpart-E/section-71.403
- **30 CFR 50.30 — Preparation and submission of MSHA Form 7000-2—Quarterly Employment and Coal Production Report.** (1 retained recent row) — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-30/chapter-I/subchapter-I/part-50/subpart-D/section-50.30
- **30 CFR 77.410 — Mobile equipment; automatic warning devices.** (1 retained recent row) — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-30/chapter-I/subchapter-O/part-77/subpart-E/section-77.410
- **30 CFR 77.1606 — Loading and haulage equipment; inspection and maintenance.** (4 retained recent rows) — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-30/chapter-I/subchapter-O/part-77/subpart-Q/section-77.1606
- **30 CFR 48.9 — Records of training.** (1 retained recent row) — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-30/chapter-I/subchapter-H/part-48/subpart-A/section-48.9
- **30 CFR 77.208 — Storage of materials.** (1 retained recent row) — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-30/chapter-I/subchapter-O/part-77/subpart-C/section-77.208
- **30 CFR 77.1605 — Loading and haulage equipment; installations.** (2 retained recent rows) — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-30/chapter-I/subchapter-O/part-77/subpart-Q/section-77.1605

## Source coverage

- **Accident, Injuries, and Illnesses:** 3 rows; 2021-02-02 through 2024-07-16; source ID `msha-accidents`
- **Addresses of Record:** 1 rows; 2022-06-08 through 2022-06-08; source ID `msha-addresses`
- **Assessed Violations:** 76 rows; 2019-03-18 through 2026-08-19; source ID `msha-assessed-violations`
- **Coal Dust Samples:** 225 rows; 2019-03-05 through 2026-09-21; source ID `msha-coal-dust-samples`
- **Contractor Employment and Production — Quarterly:** 38 rows; unknown through unknown; source ID `msha-contractor-production-quarterly`
- **Contractor Employment and Production — Yearly:** 10 rows; unknown through unknown; source ID `msha-contractor-production-yearly`
- **Controller and Operator History:** 9 rows; 2009-08-28 through 2022-05-11; source ID `msha-controller-operator-history`
- **Inspections:** 72 rows; 2014-03-31 through 2026-10-07; source ID `msha-inspections`
- **Mine Employment and Production — Quarterly:** 62 rows; unknown through unknown; source ID `msha-mine-production-quarterly`
- **Mine Employment and Production — Yearly:** 13 rows; unknown through unknown; source ID `msha-mine-production-yearly`
- **Mines:** 1 rows; unknown through unknown; source ID `msha-mines`
- **Noise Samples:** 38 rows; 2019-03-18 through 2026-02-25; source ID `msha-noise-samples`
- **Quartz Samples — Coal:** 21 rows; 2019-03-18 through 2026-09-15; source ID `msha-quartz-samples`
- **Violations:** 80 rows; 2019-03-18 through 2026-10-07; source ID `msha-violations`

## Caveats

- This is public-record decision support, not legal advice or an official MSHA record.
- Missing data can indicate no event, publication delay, an unresolved identity, or inapplicability.
- Contractor production data is entity-level and is not attributed to this mine.

## Alternate representations

- HTML: `/mines/witcher-creek-surface-mine-4609341`
- JSON: `/api/v1/mines/witcher-creek-surface-mine-4609341`
- Silica records, units, sample status and quarterly means: `/api/v1/mines/4609341/silica` (snapshot year by default; `?year=all` for history; `&format=csv` for all matching rows)
- Relationship JSON: `/api/v1/mines/4609341/relationships`
- MCP resource: `mine://4609341/assessment`
- Complete Title 30 corpus: `/data/title30-sections.json`