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Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department

2006 Excellence in Reclamation Awards

Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department

2006 Excellence in Reclamation AwardsPresented at the 2006 New Mexico Mining Association Annual Convention

Macey Center, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New MexicoSeptember 14, 2006

Bill Brancard, Division DirectorMining & Minerals Division

Introductory comments:• Eleventh year that EMNRD has presented the Excellence in Reclamation

Awards• Awards have always have been presented at the New Mexico Mining

Association annual convention• Exemplary reclamation for this year’s award includes one or a combination of

the following: 1) Advancing reclamation science through studies or innovative reclamation

techniques which mitigate mining-related impacts to surface water, ground water, wildlife habitat, plants or soils;

2) Voluntary reclamation of a mine by an operator that is not required by any regulatory program;

3) Increasing public awareness of mining issues through open public processes (e.g. stakeholder meetings, voluntary public meetings, publications etc.).

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Tijeras Mine and MillGCC Rio Grande, Inc.

Tijeras Mine and MillGCC Rio Grande, Inc.

Open pit limestone quarry and Portland cement plant in operation since 1959.

Mines approximately 700,000 tons of limestone and produces approximately 500,000 tons of Portland cement annually.

Approximately 500 acres of disturbed mine lands.

•Located near intersection of I-40 and NM-14 in Tijeras, Bernalillo County.•Currently owned by Grupos Cementos de Chihuahua, Mexico.•Employs approx. 100 people.•Portland cement is almost exclusively used for concrete in New Mexico commercial and other construction projects and is transported by haul trucks from the Tijeras facility to end users and distributors.•Land is mostly privately owned by GCC Rio Grande with some USFS;borders some land administered by the BLM.•The Mine Permit was approved May 23, 1996. The Closeout Plan Revision 98-1 was approved June 30, 1998.•Total financial assurance is $3,750,000 (75% Third Party Guaranty, 23% Letter of Credit, and 2% Surety Bond).•Approved post-mining land-uses are wildlife habitat and recreational use for the mine ; commercial/industrial for the plant.

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TechniquesTechniques

•Photos show (counterclockwise) redbed site, manure amendment; seed mixandchain harrowing•Tijeras Mine proposed a test plot study in the Closeout Plan; this became a requirement of the Permit Revision 98-1.•Submitted a Test Plot Study work plan to MMD in October 2002. MMD approved the work plan in November 2002. Approved Test Plot Study exceeded the requirements for the study that are in the Closeout Plan and Revision 98-1.•Test plots were designed to test various rates of organic amendment (horse manure at either 20 or 30 tons/acre or 2 tons/acre of of hay) and three rates of seeding (5, 10, or 20 PLS/sq. foot) using an approved native seed mix of warm and cool season grasses, forbs, and shrubs. In addition, tree and shrub seedlings of various native deciduous and conifer species were planted in selected test plots.•Because of the lack of appreciable soils at the mine for use as a plant growth medium in reclamation, a claystone with interbedded sandstone and shale called Redbed was approved for use as a cover material. The Redbed material is a waste rock that the Tijeras Mine has excavated and stockpiled over years of mine operation. The combination of the Redbed and the organic amendments are being tested at the Test Plots to see if they produce a good growth medium for use in future reclamation at the Tijeras Mine.

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Mine Section CTest plots, pre-reclamation 2002Mine Section CTest plots, pre-reclamation 2002

•Mine Section C looking southeast 08/06/02•This area was chosen as test plot study area in 2002.•Visible from both I-40 and NM-14.•Test plots total approximately 5 acres. An additional 6 acres of ancillary areas surrounding the test plots underwent reclamation.

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Test Plots, March 2003Test Plots, March 2003

•Test plots, looking north 03/14/03.•48 individual test plots were constructed in 2003 in the Tijeras Mine Section C.•Approximately 3,200 tons of horse manure was used in the Tijeras Mine Test Plots and other reclamation. The Tijeras Mine sought out and arranged for the transfer of the manure from the Santa Fe Downs racetrack owned by the Pojoaque Pueblo in an agreement that was a win-win for both parties. Originally, the Tijeras Mine sought green manure from the City of Albuquerque but arrangements could not be completed.

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Test Plots, August 2004Test Plots, August 2004

•Test plots, looking north 08/17/04•Initial observations at the Test Plots revealed that generally there was a dominance of weedy annual species such as Russian thistle and kochia on the test plots and reclaimed areas in the first year of growth (2004).

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Test Plots, July 2005Test Plots, July 2005

•Test plots, looking southeast 07/12/05.•The following year (2005) there was a very dry summer and a predominance of yellow sweet clover (a colonizer species that may have been brought in with the hay mulch) occurred on the Test Plots.

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Test Plots, August 2006Test Plots, August 2006

•Test plot, looking south 08/11/06.•In 2006 there appears to be a reduction in the weedy annuals and sweet clover and a general dominance of a diverse vegetative cover of grasses (Galleta, Sideoatsgrama, Blue grama, NM Feathergrass, and Indian Ricegrass), forbs (White Yarrow, Blue flax, Narrow-leaf Penstamon, Coneflower, and Globemallow) and shrubs (4-wing Saltbush, Winterfat, NM Cliffrose, and Rubber Rabbitbrush), besides the growth of some of the woody species planted (Utah Juniper, Gambel'sOak, Mountain Mahogany, Wood's Rose).• In 2004, Habitat Management performed a baseline study of the vegetation growth at the Test Plots. In 2007 Habitat Management will perform vegetation monitoring at the Test Plots to obtain quantitative data on the vegetative cover and diversity at the Test Plots in order to begin to assess the results of each of the Test Plot variables.

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Quarry 4 Reclamation Quarry 4 Reclamation

Before …

… After

•Quarry 4 Reclamation: Before picture 01/09/04, After picture 8/11/06•In addition to the test plots a 12-area of the mine called Quarry #4 was reclaimed concurrently with the test plots, using the same seed mix, seeded at 20 PLS per square foot and applying 30 ton per acre manure.

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Special Recognition toSpecial Recognition to

Brian McGill,Tijeras Mine and Mill

Environmental Manager

Ken Carlsonand Wayne Erickson,

Habitat Management, Inc.Consultants

•Major credit for this achievement is due to Brian McGill, the Environmental Manager at the Tijeras Mine for over 10 years. Brian has developed a strong pro-active relationship with MMD over the years through the permitting process to the development of the Test Plot study to the present time. He has accepted the challenge of being the Environmental Manager at a larger GCC limestone mine and Portland cement plant located in Pueblo Colorado. Bill Sansing, Ph.D is stepping into Brian's shoes the Environmental Manager at the Tijeras Mine. MMD is looking to Bill to continue where Brian is leaving off.•Additional credit is due to the reclamation consultant to the Tijeras Mine, Habitat Management, Inc. of Englewood, Colorado for the design and implementation of the Test Plots and reclaimed ancillary areas. Ken Carson and Wayne Erickson of Habitat Management were the key consultants responsible for work on the Test Plots and reclamation.

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2006 Excellence in Reclamation Award2006 Excellence in Reclamation Award

For successful concurrent reclamationat the Tijeras Mine & Mill

Presented to the

GCC Rio Grande, Inc.

Tijeras Mine

•By proposing a more comprehensive Test Plot study than was required, using a waste organic material that the Pojoaque Pueblo was looking to dispose of, using a mine waste material (the Redbed) and completing reclamation while actively mining, the 2006 Excellence in Reclamation Award is presented to GCC Rio Grande Inc. for sucesssful is demonstrating the successful concurrent reclamation at the Tijeras Mine and Mill.