§ 780.25 - Reclamation plan: Siltation structures, impoundments, banks, dams, and embankments.

§ 780.25 Reclamation plan: Siltation structures, impoundments, banks, dams, and embankments.

(a) General. Each application shall include a general plan and a detailed design plan for each proposed siltation structure, water impoundment, and coal processing waste bank, dam, or embankment within the proposed permit area.

(1) Each general plan shall -

(i) Be prepared by, or under the direction of, and certified by a qualified, registered, professional engineer, a professional geologist, or in any State which authorizes land surveyors to prepare and certify such plans, a qualified, registered, professional, land surveyor, with assistance from experts in related fields such as landscape architecture;

(ii) Contain a description, map, and cross section of the structure and its location;

(iii) Contain preliminary hydrologic and geologic information required to assess the hydrologic impact of the structure;

(iv) Contain a survey describing the potential effect on the structure from subsidence of the subsurface strata resulting from past underground mining operations if underground mining has occurred; and

(v) Contain a certification statement which includes a schedule setting forth the dates that any detailed design plans for structures that are not submitted with the general plan will be submitted to the regulatory authority. The regulatory authority shall have approved, in writing, the detailed design plan for a structure before construction of the structure begins.

(2) Impoundments meeting the Class B or C criteria for dams in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service Technical Release No. 60 (210-VI-TR60, Oct. 1985), “Earth Dams and Reservoirs,” Technical Release No. 60 (TR-60) shall comply with the requirements of this section for structures that meet or exceed the size of other criteria of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The technical release is hereby incorporated by reference. This incorporation by reference was approved by the Director of the Federal Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. TR-60 may be viewed and downloaded from OSM's Web site at http://www.osmre.gov/programs/TDT/damsafety.shtm. It also is available for inspection at the OSM Headquarters Office, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Administrative Record, Room 252, 1951 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC or at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html.\n. Each detailed design plan for a structure that meets or exceeds the size or other criteria of MSHA, § 77.216(a) of this chapter shall:

(i) Be prepared by, or under the direction of, and certified by a qualified registered professional engineer with assistance from experts in related fields such as geology, land surveying, and landscape architecture;

(ii) Include any geotechnical investigation, design, and construction requirements for the structure;

(iii) Describe the operation and maintenance requirements for each structure; and

(iv) Describe the timetable and plans to remove each structure, if appropriate.

(3) Each detailed design plan for structures not included in paragraph (a)(2) of this section shall:

(i) Be prepared by, or under the direction of, and certified by a qualified, registered, professional engineer, or in any State which authorizes land surveyors to prepare and certify such plans, a qualified, registered, professional land surveyor, except that all coal processing waste dams and embankments covered by §§ 816.81-816.84 of this chapter shall be certified by a qualified, registered, professional engineer;

(ii) Include any design and construction requirements for the structure, including any required geotechnical information;

(iii) Describe the operation and maintenance requirements for each structure; and

(iv) Describe the timetable and plans to remove each structure, if appropriate.

(b) Siltation structures. Siltation structures shall be designed in compliance with the requirements of § 816.46 of this chapter.

(c) Permanent and temporary impoundments.

(1) Permanent and temporary impoundments shall be designed to comply with the requirements of § 816.49 of this chapter.

(2) Each plan for an impoundment meeting the size or other criteria of the Mine Safety and Health Administration shall comply with the requirements of §§ 77.216-1 and 77.216-2 of this title. The plan required to be submitted to the District Manager of MSHA under § 77.216 of this title shall be submitted to the regulatory authority as part of the permit application in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section.

(3) For impoundments not included in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, the regulatory authority may establish through the State program approval process, engineering design standards that ensure stability comparable to a 1.3 minimum static safety factor in lieu of engineering tests to establish compliance with the minimum static safety factor of 1.3 specified in § 816.49(a)(4)(ii) of this chapter.

(d) Coal processing waste banks. Coal processing waste banks shall be designed to comply with the requirements of 30 CFR 816.81-816.84.

(e) Coal processing waste dams and embankments. Coal processing waste dams and embankments shall be designed to comply with the requirements of 30 CFR 816.81-816.84. Each plan shall comply with the requirements of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, 30 CFR 77.216-1 and 77.216-2, and shall contain the results of a geotechnical investigation of the proposed dam or embankment foundation area, to determine the structural competence of the foundation which will support the proposed dam or embankment structure and the impounded material. The geotechnical investigation shall be planned and supervised by an engineer or engineering geologist, according to the following:

(1) The number, location, and depth of borings and test pits shall be determined using current prudent engineering practice for the size of the dam or embankment, quantity of material to be impounded, and subsurface conditions.

(2) The character of the overburden and bedrock, the proposed abutment sites, and any adverse geotechnical conditions which may affect the particular dam, embankment, or reservoir site shall be considered.

(3) All springs, seepage, and ground water flow observed or anticipated during wet periods in the area of the proposed dam or embankment shall be identified on each plan.

(4) Consideration shall be given to the possibility of mudflows, rock-debris falls, or other landslides into the dam, embankment, or impounded material.

(f) If the structure meets the Class B or C criteria for dams in TR-60 or meets the size or other criteria of § 77.216(a) of this chapter, each plan under paragraphs (b), (c), and (e) of this section shall include a stability analysis of the structure. The stability analysis shall include, but not be limited to, strength parameters, pore pressures, and long-term seepage conditions. The plan shall also contain a description of each engineering design assumption and calculation with a discussion of each alternative considered in selecting the specific design parameters and construction methods.

[44 FR 15357, Mar. 13, 1979, as amended at 48 FR 44780, Sept. 30, 1983; 50 FR 16199, Apr. 24, 1985; 53 FR 43605, Oct. 27, 1988; 59 FR 53028, Oct. 20, 1994; 73 FR 75876, Dec. 12, 2008; 79 FR 76228, Dec. 22, 2014; 81 FR 93330, Dec. 20, 2016; 82 FR 54949, Nov. 17, 2017]