Alabama Administrative Code › Title 335 - ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT › WATER DIVISION - WATER QUALITY PROGRAM › Chapter 335-6-9 - SURFACE MINING RULES › Section 335-6-9-.03 - Pollution Abatement And/Or Prevention Plan

Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 9, June 28, 2024
(1) All surface mining operations shall be
				conducted in such a manner as to minimize their impact on water quality to
				avoid contravention of applicable water quality standards. To this end, all
				surface mine operators shall provide the Department with a pollution abatement
				and/or prevention plan.
(2) The
				pollution abatement and/or prevention plan shall be prepared and certified by a
				registered professional engineer, licensed to practice engineering in the State
				of Alabama, as required by Chapter 335-6-3, and shall be submitted in a format
				acceptable to the Department's staff. The plan shall include, as a minimum, the
				following:
(a) name and address of the
				operator and a legal description of the area to be mined.
(b) general information, including name and
				affiliation of company, number of employees, product(s) to be mined, hours of
				operation and water supply and disposition.
(c) topographic map showing location of mine,
				preparation plant, settling basin and all wastewater discharge
				points.
(d) method and plan for
				diverting surface water runoff from operational areas and mineral and refuse
				storage piles.
(e) narrative
				account of operation(s) explaining and/or defining raw materials, processes and
				products. Blockline or schematic diagrams indicating points of waste origin and
				its collection and disposal shall be included.
(f) quantity and characteristics of waste
				after treatment with respect to flow, suspended solids, total iron and
				pH.
(g) description of waste
				treatment facilities, pretreatment measures and recovery systems including
				expected life of sedimentation basins and schedules for cleaning or proper
				abandonment of such basins. If earthen sedimentation basins are a portion of
				the treatment scheme, plans for the construction of these facilities should
				meet minimum construction criteria as found in the Guidelines in Appendix
				A.
(h) a plan to eliminate or
				minimize sediment and other pollutants from haul roads must be included and
				should meet minimum design criteria as established by the Guidelines in
				Appendix B.
(i) location of all
				streams in or adjacent to the mining area and those measures which will be
				taken to minimize the impact on water quality when the mining operation is
				located in close proximity to such streams. Such measures may include but not
				be limited to setbacks, buffer strips or screens.
(j) those measures to be employed to minimize
				the effect of any non-point source pollution which may be generated as a result
				of the surface mining operation.
(k) all pollution abatement facilities must
				be certified by the design engineer as being constructed in accordance with the
				approved plans.
(l) the applicant
				shall specify if the proposed mining operation is to be constructed in the
				watershed of an impoundment classified as a public water supply or a direct
				tributary thereon.
(m) the
				Department shall publish, and revise as necessary, guidelines which shall be
				the basis for formulating pollution abatement and/or prevention plans required
				by this Chapter.
(n) any other
				information required for NPDES permit applications under applicable NPDES
				Rules.
Author:
Joe Myers