Michigan Administrative Code › Department - Environmental Quality › Oil, Gas & Minerals Division › Part 632, Nonferrous Metallic Mineral Mining › Part 2 - PERMITS › Section R. 425.203 - Mining Plan

Current through Vol. 24-12, July 15, 2024
Rule 203. The mining, reclamation, and environmental
					 protection plan required under R 201(1)(d) shall contain a plan for the
					 proposed mining operations. The plan shall include information that
					 demonstrates that all methods, materials, and techniques proposed to be
					 utilized are capable of accomplishing their stated objectives in protecting the
					 environment and public health, except that such information may not be required
					 for methods, materials, and techniques that are widely used in mining or other
					 industries and are generally accepted as effective. The required information
					 may consist of results of actual testing, modeling, documentation by credible
					 independent testing and certification organizations, or documented applications
					 in similar uses and settings. The plan shall include, at a minimum, all of the
					 following:
(a) A description of the
				  type and method of mining, the expected operating life of the mine, and the
				  anticipated rate and schedule of mining.
(b) An estimate of the number of employees
				  required for the mining operation, and variations in the number over the life
				  of the mine.
(c) Information
				  depicting and describing the items listed in paragraphs (i) to (xxiv) of this
				  subdivision that are mining activities or are part of, or associated with,
				  mining activities. Information that is amenable to clear depiction on a map
				  shall be shown on a map or maps of the mining area drawn to an appropriate
				  scale on a topographic base and referenced to the nearest government-surveyed
				  section or quarter-section lines. Other required information shall be
				  presented, as appropriate, by cross-sections, photographs, documents, and
				  engineering drawings.
(i) Area, thickness,
				  and characteristics of topsoil that will be stripped, and plans for stockpiling
				  and stabilizing topsoil until it will be used in reclamation.
(ii) Area, volumes, and characteristics of
				  overburden and waste rock to be excavated; plans and schedules for excavating;
				  and locations and dimensions of stockpiles and final placement areas.
(iii) Area, volumes, types, and mineralogy of
				  ore to be excavated, and schedule of mining and stockpiling ore.
(iv) Plans for limiting access to stockpiles
				  and storage or disposal facilities to prevent disposal of unauthorized
				  materials.
(v) A characterization
				  of the geochemistry of the ore, waste rock, and overburden that will be mined,
				  and peripheral rock that will be exposed in the process of mining, and of any
				  tailings that will be generated. The characterization shall include the
				  following:
(A) Chemical and physical testing
				  and modeling to predict the potential generation of acid, dissolved metals, and
				  other related substances by reaction and leaching of the ore, waste rock,
				  tailings, overburden, and peripheral rock.
(B) Testing and modeling
				  methodology.
(C) A plan for
				  monitoring the characterization during the proposed mining operation to
				  calibrate and adjust the model and predictions.
(D) Identification of the ore, waste rock,
				  overburden, peripheral rock, and tailings that are reactive.
(vi) Lithology and thickness of
				  rock surrounding and overlying the ore body.
(vii) The locations, depths, and contours of
				  open pits.
(viii) The locations and
				  dimensions of shafts, portals, or other openings between the land surface and
				  underground mine workings.
(ix) The
				  areal extent, depth, and dimensions of underground workings.
(x) Types and uses of grouting of the walls
				  of open pits and of the walls, floor, and roof of underground
				  workings.
(xi) A plan for
				  preventing damage to the environment or public health or safety from
				  subsidence, caving, or collapse of underground mine workings. The plan shall
				  contain the following:
(A) A description of
				  any planned or intentional caving and subsidence.
(B) Provisions to prevent adverse impacts to
				  public or private water supplies or to an aquifer in the affected
				  area.
(C) Provisions to assure that
				  any underground mining shall not cause material damage to structures not owned
				  or controlled by the operator.
(D)
				  Provisions to assure that any underground mining shall not cause material
				  damage to natural features on lands not owned by the operator.
(xii) A description of water that
				  will be used in the mining operations, including the source or sources of the
				  water and intended rates and durations of pumping, diversion, or
				  withdrawal.
(xiii) A description of
				  water that will be stored, transferred, or discharged in the mining operations,
				  including:
(A) The location, size, and
				  capacities of any artificial ponds, impoundments, dewatering systems,
				  diversions, other water control structures, and treatment facilities.
(B) The estimated volumes, rates, and water
				  quality of discharges, and the discharge locations.
(xiv) Storage areas for equipment and
				  vehicles.
(xv) Buildings and other
				  facilities or structures.
(xvi)
				  Areas for the storage and transfer of chemicals, fuel, and
				  explosives.
(xvii) Truck and mining
				  equipment wash down areas.
(xviii)
				  Roads, railroads, docks, piers, and other transportation infrastructure, and
				  provisions to prevent release of contaminants to the environment from ore or
				  waste rock during transportation.
(xix) Beneficiation processes, materials, and
				  activities, including the following:
(A) The
				  types, extent, and sequence of beneficiation, including physical and chemical
				  characterization of all materials, wastes, or products.
(B) A description of any mills,
				  concentrators, dryers, separators, chemical reactors, filtering equipment,
				  electrolytic chambers, flotation cells, kilns, or other beneficiation
				  equipment.
(C) The type and amount
				  of chemicals to be added.
(D) The
				  types, amounts, locations, sequence, schedule, and means of waste rock and
				  tailings disposal.
(E) Provisions
				  to prevent release of contaminants to the environment from beneficiation
				  equipment.
(F) Tailings transport
				  systems, if not buried, should be designed to provide for emergency tailings
				  conveyance or storage should a pipeline break, plug, freeze or require repairs
				  and be made accessible for inspection, emergency repair, and maintenance.
				  Location of emergency spill areas shall be designed to prevent contamination of
				  surface water. If a power failure occurs, then tailing pipelines shall be self
				  draining to the tailings area or to an emergency spill area or standby pumps
				  and pipelines or standby power shall be provided. In some cases (such as a long
				  pipeline over rough country), several spill areas may have to be
				  provided.
(xx) Plans and
				  schedules for regulating or controlling drainage of water, including surface
				  runoff, from within the diked area of a tailings disposal area to prevent
				  breaching of the dikes, both during and after mining. The plans and schedules
				  shall ensure that 24-hour 100-year precipitation events do not cause releases
				  of water that are not in compliance with the conditions of the mining
				  permit.
(xxi) Plans and schedules
				  for monitoring, containment, and treatment of surface runoff that has
				  contacted, or may contact, ore, waste rock, overburden, or tailings determined
				  to be reactive under R 425.203(c)(v). The plans shall be designed to reasonably
				  minimize actual and potential adverse impacts on groundwater and surface water
				  by preventing leaching or runoff of acid-forming waste products and other waste
				  products from the mining process.
(xxii) A soil erosion and sedimentation
				  control plan that meets the standards of part 91 of the act to effectively
				  reduce accelerated soil erosion and sedimentation that may impact the affected
				  area. The plan shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(A) The location, description, and schedule
				  for installing and removing all proposed temporary soil erosion and sediment
				  control measures.
(B) A description
				  and the location of all proposed permanent soil erosion and sediment control
				  measures, and provisions for establishing the permanent soil erosion control
				  measures as soon as possible after an earth change has been completed or if
				  significant earth change activity ceases.
(C) Provisions to limit the exposed area of
				  any disturbed land to the shortest feasible period of time.
(D) Provisions to remove sediment caused by
				  accelerated soil erosion from runoff water before it leaves the mining
				  area.
(E) Temporary or permanent
				  control measures for the conveyance of water around, through, or from the area
				  affected by mining activities to limit the water flow to a nonerosive
				  velocity.
(F) Provisions for
				  temporary soil erosion and sedimentation control measures before or upon
				  commencement of the earth change activity; for maintaining the measures on a
				  daily basis; and for removing the measures after permanent soil erosion
				  measures are in place and the area is stabilized.
(G) Provisions for stabilizing the area with
				  permanent soil erosion control measures as soon as possible after an earth
				  change has been completed or if significant earth change activity
				  ceases.
(xxiii) Plans
				  for conducting reclamation activities concurrently with mining operations to
				  the extent feasible.
(xxiv) Plans
				  for inspecting, monitoring, and maintaining liners, final covers, leachate
				  collection systems, leak detection systems, berms, and embankments, including
				  frequency of inspections. Inspecting or monitoring shall be conducted at least
				  monthly.