Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 2. Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action
surface mining operation. Many of the areas that would be disturbed early in the project would
remain disturbed until mine closure and reclamation. Since the majority of activity would take
place thousands of feet below the surface, a relatively small percentage of project operation
affects surface resources (RHR, 2012).
As described above, surface disturbances would consist of the administrative buildings and
support facilities, water treatment plant and ponds, excavation material stockpiles, roads, utility
corridors, surface water flow channels and detention basins, retention ponds, and other facilities.
Most of these areas must remain as constructed and functional until mining operations cease and
final site reclamation begins. However, since Roca Honda mining would be split between Section
16 and Section10, some contemporaneous reclamation would begin to the extent possible in
Section 16 on facilities and areas not required for the mining efforts in Section 10.
The overall approach to contemporaneous reclamation is to avoid site disturbance wherever
possible and minimize the area that must be disturbed. Contemporaneous reclamation would be
initiated with soil salvage and interim revegetation, and would continue through mine operations
with protection and maintenance of excavation material stockpiles, closure of wells, and
reclamation (revegetation) of drilling pads when they are no longer needed. This early
reclamation would minimize erosion, while isolating and protecting material for later use; it
would provide for mitigation of potential effects and reduce the final reclamation work and costs
(RHR, 2012).
Contemporaneous reclamation would also involve avoidance of disturbance and the use of
existing roads and access corridors whenever possible. For example, there are a number of
previously disturbed sites within the permit area consisting of historic drill pads and existing dirt
roads. RHR would improve some of these existing roads for its needs and locate ventilation holes
and escape shafts on old drill pads whenever possible. Candidate areas for contemporaneous
reclamation include the mud pits, development drill pads, and the excavated material stockpiles,
which consist of: (1) topdressing, (2) subbase rock, (3) shaft material, and (4) nonore material.
Final Reclamation
Final reclamation is designed to remove surface facilities, plug the mine shafts, recontour the
disturbed area, replace stockpiled soil, and establish vegetation suitable for the post-mining land
use of grazing. The reclamation approach was initially presented in the reclamation plan for Roca
Honda Mine (Roca Honda Resources 2009b); this plan was subsequently revised in response to
input from State agencies.
In general, final reclamation would include the following components:
• Survey the disturbed area and ore haulage routes for uranium-bearing materials, and
develop a plan to excavate and dispose of any affected soil.
• Remove salvageable equipment and any hazardous or toxic substances from the
underground mine.
• Place concrete plugs at surface openings and plug extraction and monitoring wells.
• Remove water, sediments, and pond liners from storm water evaporation ponds and
regrade to match surrounding terrain.
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 47