ASTM_D_7629_-_D_7629M_-_10.pdf

Designation:D7629/D7629M 10Standard Practice forMinimum Geospatial Data for Representing Coal Spoil andRefuse Features1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D7629/D7629M;the number immediately following the designation indicates theyear of original adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of lastreapproval.A superscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This practice defines a set of terms,procedures,and dataelements required to develop a national spatial dataset offeatures associated with excess spoil and refuse materialsproduced by coal mining operations.These features includeexcess spoil structures,coal preparation plants,and coal refusestructures.1.1.1 Excess Spoil Structuresare created when the totalspoil produced during mining exceeds the volume of materialthat can be utilized for reclamation.This occurrence is com-mon in steep slope areas,where the final grade of reclaimedslopes is limited by stability requirements.It also occurs whereoverburden volume is significantly larger than the volume ofminable coal.Spoil also exhibits a net increase in volume dueto the introduction of void spaces in fragmented rock whenoverburden is removed to expose underlying coal seams.Theproduction of excess spoil requires the creation of disposalstructures that extend outside the mined area.These structuresusually take the form of out-of-pit spoil piles,side-hill fills,orvalley fills(See Fig.1).1.1.2 Coal Preparation Plantsare facilities where coal isseparated from non-combustible materials,and potentiallycrushed,resized,and blended with other grades of coal.Preparation plants produce refuse as a byproduct.1.1.3 Refuseis a waste byproduct of coal processing,generally categorized as either coarse or fine.Fine coal refuseoften is handled as a slurry containing a blend of water,finecoal,silt,sand,and clay particles.1.1.4 Impounding Refuse Structurescreate a holding areafor slurry that allows solids to settle out and water to berecovered.Cross-valley and diked impoundments utilize anembankment,often constructed of coarse coal refuse,whichforms a basin for slurry retention,as shown in Fig.2 and Fig.3 respectively.Incised impoundments dispose of slurry in anexcavated area below the natural surface and do not utilize asignificant embankment for slurry retention(See Fig.4).1.1.5 Non-Impounding Refuse Structuresmay containslurry that has been dewatered and stabilized prior to disposal.Non-impounding structures also may utilize slurry cells todispose of fine refuse.Methods that significantly reduce thewater content of fine coal refuse may allow a refuse structureto avoid being classified as an impoundment.1.2 This practice addresses coal mining geospatial datarelative to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of1977(SMCRA).2SMCRA authorizes state and tribal Regula-tory Authorities(RAs)to regulate surface coal mining opera-tions(SCMO).Each RA shall be the authoritative data source(ADS)for coal mining geospatial data associated with its areaof responsibility.1.3 This standard is one of several that have been approvedor are in development related to SMCRAapproved coal miningoperations.Also under development is a terminology standard.Initial development of these standards is being done on anindividual basis;however,they may be consolidated to reducerepetition of information between them.1.4 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound unitsare to be regarded separately as standard.The values stated ineach system may not be exact equivalents;therefore,eachsystem shall be used independently of the other.Combiningvalues from the two systems may result in non-conformancewith the standard.1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulator limitations prior to use.1.6 This practice offers a set of instructions for performingone or more specific operations.This document cannot replaceeducation or experience and should be used in conjunction withprofessional judgment.Not all aspects of this practice may beapplicable in all circumstances.This ASTM standard is notintended to represent or replace the standard of care by whichthe adequacy of a given professional service must be judged,nor should this document be applied without consideration ofa projects many unique aspects.The word“Standard”in the1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D18 on Soil andRock and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.01 on Surface andSubsurface Characterization.Current edition approved May 15,2010.Published June 2010.DOI:10.1520/D7629_D7629M10.2Public Law 95-87,the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977(SMCRA),passed August 3,1977,as amended.1Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr