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<br />Mined Land Reclamation Division <br />Policy for I•tonitoring <br />Sediment Level in Sediment Ponds <br />July 5, 1985 <br />Sediment ponds are to be maintained so that storage will always be available <br />to handle the sediment and runoff generated from a 10-year event (Rule <br />4.05.6(3)(a) and (b)). The operator must have a means of monitoring sediment <br />level in the pond to ensure that it can be properly maintained. <br />Sediment clean out timing is to be specified in the permit. Most mines clean <br />sediment at the 60 percent level or at some other level specified in the <br />permit. In ever~~ case the sediment is to be removed at the appropriate level <br />so that there always is sufficient storage to handle the 10-year event. The <br />clean out level specified in the application is considered the maximum <br />allowable accumulation to ensure that the required sediment storage capacity <br />is available. <br />In order to ensure that maintenance will be performed on a timely basis, <br />several means of monitoring sediment levels are acceptable. They are as <br />• follows: - <br />1. Have the pond storage volume surveyed by a qualified surveyor at a <br />frequency approved by the Division. ;<eep a record of the survey on <br />file 3t the mine site; or <br />2. Maintain a staff gauge in the pond to serve as a benchmark for <br />estimating sediment level; or . <br />3. Any other method that can be demonstrated to the Division to be <br />effective and thus become part of the sediment pond maintenance program <br />in the approved permit. The Division will consider visible or <br />mechanical methcds that are reasonably accurate and that can be <br />demonstrated to he effective during afield inspection. <br />With respect to enforcement policy, the absence of any of the methods <br />discussed above, as approved by the Division, will be considered a failure to <br />maintain the sediment pond. ~itcr-irkmethods--are=necessary to ensure proper <br />pond,maintenance•~.iher~fore, the absence .o~;,su~h.monitoring~leaves an. operator - <br />incapable of~properly maintaining=the pond: <br />DS/sjv <br />Date: July 5, 198 <br />. 130 <br />