Florida Administrative Code › 62 - DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › 62C - Division of Resource Management › Chapter 62C-36 - LIMESTONE RECLAMATION REQUIREMENTS › Section 62C-36.008 - Reclamation Standards

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
The following standards shall apply to each entire new mine
				  after October 1, 1986, and to any new surface area disturbed after January 1,
				  1989, at existing mines.
(1) All
				reclamation activities shall be initiated at the earliest practicable time.
(a) Where overburden is used to eliminate
				sheer walls, the placement of overburden against any section of sheer wall
				shall begin as soon as practical after mining operations are no longer taking
				place along that section, but no longer than six months after overburden
				becomes available and mining operations are complete. Contouring of the
				overburden shall be completed no later than six months after the overburden has
				been placed.
(b) The requirements
				in subsections (7) and (8), below, for treating final shorelines and sheer
				walls shall be initiated and completed no later than one year after the
				calendar year in which the length and final location of shoreline or dry sheer
				wall was established and other mining operations have ceased in such area. The
				secretary shall waive this requirement for any reasonable length of time when
				necessary to prevent unacceptable contamination of the resource being
				extracted.
(c) Revegetation
				activities shall be initiated as soon as practical and completed no later than
				one year after the calendar year in which the final contours are established in
				an area and revegetation activities would not interfere with mining
				operations.
(d) Reclamation
				activities through revegetation shall be completed within three years of the
				final cessation of mining operations at the mine.
(e) If mining operations temporarily cease at
				a mine for more than 24 months:
1. The
				requirements of subsections (7) and (8), below, shall begin immediately and be
				completed at a rate of at least 1, 000 feet of shoreline or dry sheer wall per
				three-month period, or
2. The
				operator shall post a bond or other surety in an amount reasonably related to
				the cost of completing reclamation and for the period of time the initiation of
				reclamation will be delayed, both of which shall be acceptable to the
				secretary, or
3. The operator shall
				begin reclaiming an equivalent amount of nonmandatory land at the rate
				specified in subparagraph 1., above.
4. Compliance with the requirements of
				subparagraphs 1., 2., and 3., above, shall be tolled by the length of time that
				a temporary cessation results from attempts to obtain necessary permits for
				operations.
5. The secretary shall
				waive the commencement of the requirements in subparagraphs 1., 2., and 3.,
				above, for good cause for the length of time necessary, up to a maximum of one
				year.
(f) If mining
				operations cease, for whatever reason, for more than five years at a mine, then
				all of the requirements of this section shall be met. This period shall be
				extended for a maximum of five years when the cessation of mining is caused by
				governmental action during the review of environmental permit applications.
				However, the secretary shall direct the operator to complete those reclamation
				activities necessary to protect the public health and safety.
(g) When mining occurs in layers, then
				paragraphs (e) and (f), above, shall apply, if mining of the next lower stratum
				does not begin within five years after the completion of mining of the previous
				upper stratum. Revegetation of a lower stratum intended for mining shall be
				delayed, pending the results of a feasibility study on the ability of such a
				stratum to be revegetated.
(h) The
				requirements of paragraphs (e), (f) and (g), above, shall be suspended upon the
				resumption of mining.
(i) The
				initiation and completion dates shall be determined based on information
				provided in the annual reports and verified by the
				secretary.