Laserfiche WebLink
• <br />TAB 20 <br />BACKFILLING AND GRADING <br />Backfillinq and Grading Procedures <br />Rough grading will be performed with bulldozers, scrapers, graders and, occasionally [he dragline. <br />Bulldozers and scrapers are used for final grading. SCC does not plan to remove any necessary reclamation <br />equipment from the area of operation until final reclamation is completed. Typically, the process of grading <br />begins with bulldozers building roadways into the ungraded spoil. Once sufficient access into the spoil is <br />provided, dozers or scrapers move the spoil material in the direction and the amounts required to achieve <br />the desired land form. The movement of spoil material is generally downslope, due to economic and safety <br />considerations. Completion of rough backfilling and grading will be attempted within 160 days following <br />^..~.~-- <br />coal removal unless specific variances are applicable. Backfilled materials shall be placed .to minimize <br />adverse effects on ground water, minimize off-site effects, and to support the approved postmining land <br />use. The mine site will require a variance from contemporaneous reclamation for specific areas and <br />situations as described in Tab 19. <br />• SCC's experience has shown that grading two spoil ridges simultaneously produces more desirable <br />reclamation results than grading one spoil ridge at a time. This is because the creation of graded slopes is <br />primarily dependent upon the ability to perform "area grading" versus grading one spoil ridge. Because of <br />many variables encountered in the overburden removal process, it is very difficult to predict the exact, final <br />configuration ~of the spoil. Thus, the final planning far reclamation grading must be performed after the <br />spoil ridge is created in order to grade the disturbed areas in a diverse manner such that surface <br />irregularities are created to minimize erosion, improve range and wildlife habitat, infiltration and improve <br />soil moisture holding characteristics for the revegetation process. As mining progresses, grading will <br />generally be within two spoil ridges. Creating an acceptable postmining land form is the primaiy <br />consideration that determines the number of spoil ridges that may exist in the field. Once the spoil ridges <br />are reduced to the point that equipment can be safety operated across the slope of the rough graded area, <br /> <br />final grading will be done on the contour. <br />Final interior spoil grading will produce a diverse topography with slopes generally no steeper than <br />5(h1:11v1, except in areas where premining slopes were steeper than 5:1. Final highwalls will be reduced to <br />slopes flatter than 3:1 except in areas where the natural slope is steeper <br />1 Revised 9/98 <br />