Section 45-6-67 - Operating and reclamation standards An operator shall comply with the following operating and reclamation standards:
(1) Surface mined areas shall be reclaimed and shaped to control erosion and eliminate hazards to domestic animals and wildlife, to protect public health and safety and the environment and to provide for appropriate future beneficial land use;(2) All refuse, machinery, equipment, and materials from the pit operation shall be disposed of in a manner so as to create the least amount of unsightliness and unproductive areas and to not pollute surface or groundwater;(3) Land shall be revegetated in such a way as agreed upon by the operator, the local conservation district and the landowner which establishes a diverse, effective, and long-lasting vegetative cover. For any future land use other than crop land, the revegetation shall be capable of self-regeneration and at least equal in extent of cover to the natural vegetation of the surrounding area;(4) If it is necessary to remove overburden in order to remove the construction aggregates, topsoil shall be removed from the affected land and segregated from other spoil. If such topsoil is not replaced on a backfill area within a time short enough to avoid deterioration of the topsoil, vegetative cover or other means shall be employed so that the topsoil is preserved from wind and water erosion, remains free of any contamination by other acid or toxic material and is in a usable condition for sustaining vegetation when restored during reclamation;(5) Any disturbance to the prevailing hydrologic balance of the affected land and of the surrounding area and to the quality and quantity of water in surface and groundwater systems both during and after the pit operation and during reclamation shall be minimized. Operations shall be conducted to protect all waters from pollution by siltation, waste, debris and toxic fluids or materials;(6) All surface areas of the affected land, including spoil piles, shall be stabilized and protected so as to effectively control erosion and attendant air and water pollution. Noxious weed infestations shall be controlled during all phases of the pit operation and reclamation; and(7) Any area outside of the affected land shall be protected from slides, subsidence, or damage occurring during the mining operation and reclamation. All high walls shall be reduced to a slope not greater than the angle of repose upon abandonment of the mining operation, unless such a reduction would create conditions more detrimental than preservation of the high wall. Prior to slope reduction, the operator shall take precautions to limit access to the high wall area and to warn the public of the high wall. Such precautions shall include fencing and posting of warning signs. If high wall reduction is deemed impossible, impractical or aesthetically undesirable by the board, the board shall prescribe adequate fencing.