Chapter 295

295.63(1)(a) (a) An operator at any time may request a change to a mining permit, the mining plan, the reclamation plan, or the mining waste site feasibility study and plan of operation for any mining site that the operator owns or leases, or request cancellation of the mining permit for any or all of the unmined part of a mining site. The operator shall submit an application for the change or cancellation in the form of a letter giving notice to the department of the proposed change or cancellation and shall identify in the letter the tract of land to be affected by a change in the mining plan, reclamation plan, or mining waste site feasibility study and plan of operation or to be removed from the permitted mining site.

295.63(1)(b) (b) The department shall grant a request under par. (a) unless it determines that the requested change makes it impossible for the permit holder to substantially comply with the approved mining plan, reclamation plan, or mining waste site feasibility study and plan of operation. If the department determines that the requested change would make substantial compliance impossible, it shall follow the procedure in sub. (3).

295.63(1)(c) (c) If the request under par. (a) is to cancel any or all of the unmined part of a mining site, the department shall ascertain, by inspection, if mining has occurred on the land. If the department finds that no mining has occurred, the department shall order release of the bond or other security posted for the land being removed from the permitted mining site and cancel or amend the operator’s written authorization to conduct mining on the mining site. The department may not approve the removal of land where mining has occurred from a permitted mining site, or release that land from the bond or other security under this subsection, unless the operator has completed reclamation to the satisfaction of the department.

295.63(2) (2) The operator shall furnish the department with a report for each mining site within 30 days after the end of every 12-month period after issuance of the mining permit, within 30 days after completion of all mining at the mining site, and within 30 days after completion of the mining plan and of the reclamation plan, describing any reclamation work accomplished, or experimental reclamation work performed, during the preceding year. The operator shall include in the reports an annual plan map, color-coded and with a legend, showing all of the following, as of December 31 of the previous year, or as near to December 31 of the previous year as mining operations permit:

295.63(2)(a) (a) Location and boundary of the mining area.

295.63(2)(b) (b) Any mine mill.

295.63(2)(c) (c) Any open pit.

295.63(2)(d) (d) Stockpiles of overburden.

295.63(2)(e) (e) Stockpiles of waste rock.

295.63(2)(f) (f) Ferrous ore stockpiles.

295.63(2)(g) (g) Streams, lakes, and reservoirs.

295.63(2)(h) (h) Tailings basins.

295.63(2)(i) (i) Roads.

295.63(2)(j) (j) Sequential numbers or letters or other method, as approved by the department, permanently assigned to portions of the mining site that have been abandoned before abandonment of the entire mining operation.

295.63(2)(k) (k) Changes in the surface area disturbed by mining during the preceding year, indicated by vertical crosshatching or other method approved by the department.

295.63(2)(L) (L) Anticipated changes in the surface area disturbed by mining during the current year, indicated by horizontal crosshatching or other method approved by the department.

295.63(2)(m) (m) Elevations of stockpiles and tailings basins.

295.63(2)(n) (n) Drainage on and away from the surface area disturbed by mining, showing directional flow of water in drainage ways, natural watercourses, and streams, intermittent and flowing, including discharge from the mining.

295.63(2)(o) (o) The name of the geologist, engineer, or surveyor responsible for the preparation of the map.

295.63(2)(p) (p) The date the map was prepared.

295.63(2m) (2m) Annually, the department shall review the bond or other security under s. 295.59 (1) to ascertain its adequacy. If the department after review determines that the amount of the bond or other security should be changed, it shall notify the permit holder of the necessary changes. If the permit holder does not seek a contested case hearing under s. 295.77 (3) within 30 days, the changes are considered to be accepted.

295.63(3) (3) If the department finds that a change requested under sub. (1) (a) would make substantial compliance with the approved mining plan, reclamation plan, or mining waste site feasibility study and plan of operation impossible or it finds, based on a review conducted no more frequently than every 5 years, that because of changing conditions, including changes in reclamation costs or reclamation technology, the reclamation plan for a mining site is no longer sufficient to reasonably provide for reclamation of the mining site consistent with this subchapter, it shall require the operator to submit an amended mining plan, reclamation plan, or mining waste site feasibility study and plan of operation and applications for amending any approval associated with the proposed amendments to the mining plan, reclamation plan, or mining waste site feasibility study and plan of operation. The public notice, public comment, and public hearing procedures in s. 295.57 apply to amended plans and applications under this subsection. The department shall approve or deny the amended mining plan, reclamation plan, or mining waste site feasibility study and plan of operation in accordance with s. 295.58, within 30 days following the close of the public comment period. The applicant may continue to operate under the existing mining permit until the amended mining permit is issued or denied.

295.63 History History: 2013 a. 1.

295.635 295.635 Required mining waste site inspections, record keeping, reporting, and responses.

295.635(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

295.635(1)(a) (a) “Active dam” means a dam and associated settling area into which tailings or wastewater are being introduced or that has not been reclaimed in a manner approved by the department.

295.635(1)(b) (b) “Inactive dam” means a dam and associated settling area that is no longer being used for disposal of tailings or wastewater and that has been reclaimed in a manner approved by the department.

295.635(2) (2) General. The operator shall, at least monthly, visually inspect all of the following and record observations in a mining waste site operating log:

295.635(2)(a) (a) The active portions of the mining waste site for possible damage or structural weakening.

295.635(2)(b) (b) Mining waste handling and monitoring equipment and readings, to ensure normal operation and measurements.

295.635(2)(c) (c) Fences or barriers around the mining waste site, for possible damage.

295.635(2)(d) (d) The buffer area around the mining waste site, for possible environmental damage related to its operation.

295.635(3) (3) Active dams. The operator shall, at least monthly, inspect active dams and record the findings in the mining waste site operating log. The operator shall record at least all of the following findings:

295.635(3)(a) (a) Condition of vegetation on the dam and within 50 feet from the outside base.

295.635(3)(b) (b) Piezometric levels within the mass of the dam.

295.635(3)(c) (c) Condition of soil surfaces on the top and slopes of the dam and within 50 feet from the outside base.

295.635(3)(d) (d) Condition of drainage ditches near the base of the dam.

295.635(3)(e) (e) Liquid surface level and amount of freeboard.

295.635(3)(f) (f) Condition of spillways, conduits, and water level control structures.

295.635(4) (4) Inactive dams. The operator shall inspect inactive dams quarterly and record the findings in the mining waste site operating log. The operator shall record at least all of the following findings:

295.635(4)(a) (a) Condition of soil surfaces on the top and slopes of the dam and within 50 feet from the outside base.

295.635(4)(b) (b) Piezometric levels within the mass of the dam if that instrumentation has been determined to be necessary or is required in the long-term care provisions of the mining waste site feasibility study and plan of operation.

295.635(4)(c) (c) Condition of spillways, conduits, and water level control structures.

295.635(5) (5) Defective conditions of dams posing risk of adverse impact. When a defective condition that poses a significant risk of adverse impact to the environment is found during an inspection of a dam, the operator shall ensure that it is recorded and corrected at the earliest practicable time. At the earliest practicable time, the operator shall make a written report to the department of the condition and the actions proposed and taken for its correction. Within 5 business days of receipt of a written report, the department may confirm the correction of the condition and specify any necessary additional corrective action. An operator shall consider any of the following items as indicating a condition that requires prompt investigation and that may require corrective action:

295.635(5)(a) (a) Seepage on the outer face of the dam accompanied by boils, sand cones, or deltas.

295.635(5)(b) (b) Silt accumulations, boils, deltas, or cones in the drainage ditches at the base of the dam.

295.635(5)(c) (c) Cracking of soil surface on the top or either face of the dam.

295.635(5)(d) (d) Bulging of the outside face of the dam.

295.635(5)(e) (e) Seepage, damp areas, or boils in the vicinity of, or erosion around, a conduit through the dam.

295.635(5)(f) (f) Any shrinkage of the top or faces of the dam.

295.635(6) (6) Potential defects of dams. All of the following conditions indicate potential defects and the operator shall closely check them on subsequent inspections for an active dam and conduct an intermediate inspection if they exist for an inactive dam:

295.635(6)(a) (a) Patches of overgrown vegetation on the outside face or close to the base of the dam.

295.635(6)(b) (b) Surface erosion, gullying, or wave erosion on the inside of the dam.

295.635(6)(c) (c) Surface erosion, gullying, or damp areas on the outside of the dam, including the berm and the area within 50 feet from the outside base.

295.635(6)(d) (d) Erosion below any conduit.

295.635(6)(e) (e) Wet areas or soggy soil on the outside of, or in natural soil below, the dam.

295.635(7) (7) Record keeping related to dams.

295.635(7)(a) (a) The operator shall retain all records relating to dam monitoring, analytical, and verification activities and data, including all original strip chart recordings and instrumentation, calibration, and maintenance records, until termination of operator responsibility, except to the extent that copies of those records have previously been provided to the department.

295.635(7)(b) (b) The operator shall maintain in a permanent file all of the following construction records pertaining to any dam in case they are needed for future reference:

295.635(7)(b)1. 1. Aerial photos of the construction site before construction.

295.635(7)(b)2. 2. Construction drawings and modifications of the drawings.

295.635(7)(b)3. 3. Construction specifications and modifications of the specifications.

295.635(7)(b)4. 4. Results of all soil tests on foundations and fill materials.

295.635(7)(b)5. 5. Logs of borings and engineering geology reports.

295.635(7)(b)6. 6. Copies of construction progress inspections pertinent to core trench, toe drain, internal drains, and other significant phases of the structure including, at the option of the operator, photographs of various structural items.

295.635(7)(b)7. 7. Aerial photos of the entire dam taken within 90 days after all construction is completed.

295.635(7)(b)8. 8. A description of and justification for all deviations or variances from the construction plans and specifications.

295.635(8) (8) Responses to unplanned events. If a mining waste site has an accidental or emergency discharge, a fire, an explosion, or other unplanned or unpredicted event that is likely to damage human health or the environment, the operator shall follow the procedures set forth in the contingency plan under s. 295.51 (6) (f) and shall report the incident to the department and to county, town, and tribal governmental agencies immediately after the operator has discovered the event.

295.635(9) (9) Annual report. The operator shall submit to the department an annual summary report concerning the mining waste site containing all of the following:

295.635(9)(a) (a) Statistical summaries of annual and cumulative data.

295.635(9)(b) (b) A comparison of the summaries under par. (a) to mining waste characterization, leachate characterizations, effluent predictions, and baseline water quality and background water quality data as contained in the approved mining waste site feasibility study and plan of operation.

295.635(9)(c) (c) The results of verification procedures and a presentation of the error associated with each parameter reported.

295.635(9)(d) (d) Information from monitoring wells that have not been affected, including a discussion of whether the baseline values should be modified due to natural variability and what the new values should be.

295.635(10) (10) Applicability. This section does not apply to a surface mine that is backfilled with mining waste.

295.635 History History: 2013 a. 1.

295.64 295.64 Mining site monitoring; general.

295.64(1) (1) General. The department, as a condition of a mining permit, shall require the operator to perform adequate monitoring of environmental changes during the course of the mining and for the additional period of time that is necessary to satisfactorily complete reclamation and completely release the operator from any bonds or other security required. The department may monitor environmental changes concurrently with the operator and for an additional period after the security is released.

295.64(2) (2) Analyses.

295.64(2)(a) (a) The department shall review baseline water quality data with respect to groundwater and monitoring data associated with the mine, mining waste sites, and sites for the disposal of wastes that are not mining wastes at the time of each review of the mining permit or reclamation plan under s. 295.63 (3) and when the operator requests a modification of the mining permit or reclamation plan.

295.64(2)(b) (b) An operator shall have bacteriological analyses of water samples and all radiological analyses associated with the mining site performed by the state laboratory of hygiene or at a laboratory certified or approved by the department of health services. An operator shall have other laboratory tests the results of which are submitted to the department under this subchapter performed by a laboratory certified or registered under s. 299.11, except that this requirement does not apply to any of the following:

295.64(2)(b)1. 1. Physical testing of soil.

295.64(2)(b)2. 2. Air quality tests.

295.64(2)(b)3. 3. Tests for hydrogen ion concentration (pH).

295.64(2)(b)4. 4. Tests for chlorine residual.

295.64(2)(b)5. 5. Tests for temperature.

295.64 History History: 2013 a. 1.

295.643 295.643 Mining waste site monitoring.

295.643(1) (1) General. The department may require the monitoring of groundwater, surface water, leachate, or other physical features associated with a mining waste site.

295.643(2) (2) Physical features. The department may require the monitoring of air quality, berms, embankments, vegetation growth, and drainage control structures associated with the mining waste site. The department may require monitoring of other chemical or biological conditions, if the department determines that the monitoring is necessary to assess the impact of the mining waste site on critical aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.