New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 19 - NATURAL RESOURCES AND WILDLIFE
Chapter 8 - COAL MINING
Part 8 - PERMIT APPLICATIONS - MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR INFORMATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
Section 19.8.8.803 - GEOLOGY DESCRIPTION
Universal Citation: 19 NM Admin Code 19.8.8.803
Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 6, March 26, 2024
A. The description shall include a general statement of the geology within the proposed permit area accompanied by appropriate maps and cross-sections down to and including the first aquifer to be affected below the lowest coal seam to be mined.
B. Sampling requirements.
(1) Test borings or core samples from the
proposed permit area shall be collected and analyzed down to and including the
stratum immediately below the lowest coal seam to be mined to provide the
following data in the description:
(a)
location of subsurface water, if encountered;
(b) logs of drill holes showing the
lithologic characteristics and thickness of each stratum and each coal
seam;
(c) physical properties of
each stratum within the overburden including compaction, erodibility, and if
this material is to be used as topdressing, potential soil texture;
(d) for surface mining activities, chemical
analyses of a composite sample of each stratum within the overburden and the
stratum immediately below the lowest coal seam to be mined and for underground
mining activities, chemical analyses of the stratum immediately above and below
the coal seams to be mined to identify at a minimum, those horizons which
contain potential acid-forming, toxic-forming, or alkalinity producing
materials and a composite sample from each stratum shall be analyzed for the
following parameters:
|
Aluminum (Al) |
Cyanide (CN) |
|
|
Arsenic (As) |
Fluoride |
Silver (Ag) |
|
Barium (Ba) |
Iron (Fe) |
Sulfate (SO4) |
|
Boron (B) |
Lead (Pb) |
Uranium (U) |
|
Cadmium (Cd) |
Manganese (Mn) |
Vanadium (V) |
|
Chromium(Cr) |
Mercury (Hg) |
Zinc (Zn) |
|
Cobalt (Co) |
Molybdenum (Mo) |
Radioactivity |
|
Copper (Cu) |
Nickel (Ni) |
Radium Ra226 |
|
Selenium (Se) |
||
|
Radium Ra228 |
(e)
If this material is to be considered for use as topdressing, analyses for the
parameters necessary for plant growth shall be performed, in addition to those
listed above, and shall include at a minimum the following:
|
Calcium (Ca) |
Sodium (Na) |
|
Chloride |
Carbonate (CO3) |
|
Magnesium (Mg) |
Bicarbonate (HCO3) |
|
Phosphorous (P) |
Nitrate (NO3) |
|
Potassium (K) |
Sodium Adsorption Ratio (Adjusted) (SAR) |
|
pH |
(f)
A demonstration of the suitability of topsoil substitutes or supplements in
Subsection E of 19.8.20.2005 NMAC shall be based upon analysis of the thickness
of soil horizons and/or geologic strata, total depth, texture, percent coarse
fragments, pH, and areal extent of the different kinds of soils. Analyses of
additional parameters or additional data may be required by the
director.
(g) If the applicant can
demonstrate that the analyses of any particular parameter is of little or no
significance in the proposed permit area, then such parameter(s) may be waived
upon approval of the director;
(h)
analysis of the coal seam, including, but not limited to an analysis of the
sulfur, pyrite, and marcasite content.
(i) The applicant shall submit a proposed
sampling plan to the director for approval.
(2) If required by the director, test borings
or core samplings shall be collected and analyzed to greater depths within the
proposed permit area, or for areas outside the proposed permit area to provide
for evaluation of the impact of the proposed operations on the hydrologic
balance.
(3) An applicant may
request that the requirements for a statement of the results of the test
borings or core samplings be waived by the director. The waiver may be granted
only if the director makes a written determination that the statement is
unnecessary because other equivalent information is accessible to him in a
satisfactory form.
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