Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 2. Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action
• Decommission water treatment plant and water storage ponds including removal and
disposal of remaining chemicals or other hazardous substances.
• Remove storm water control structures such as detention basins and arroyo armoring.
• Remove surface mine facilities, provide for reuse or dispose as appropriate.
• Recontour areas of surface disturbance to provide for positive drainage and slope
stability.
• Remove road base material and reclaim roads that are not planned to be retained by
surface landowners.
• Spread stockpiled topsoil on recontoured areas, revegetate with native seed mixture
designed to facilitate post-mining land use of grazing, and implement erosion control
measures.
• Remove perimeter fences.
RHR proposes reclamation performance standards that would be used to assess growth of grasses,
forbs, and woody species in reclaimed areas. These reclamation performance standards would
assist in evaluating reclamation performance and achieving release of the mine reclamation bond
after reclamation is complete.
In response to Agency comments on the initial reclamation plan, RHR submitted revision 1 in
August 2011. Revision 1 revised and updated the original 2009 reclamation plan. Revision 1
contains a detailed discussion of the steps that would be taken to stabilize and configure the site
so as to achieve the approved grazing post-mining land use. These steps, which are consistent
with State regulations at NMAC 19.10.6.603.D (1 through 5), are summarized below.
Final slopes and drainage configurations would be constructed to conform with the geomorphic
character of the region and surrounding area, and would be compatible with the approved postmining
land use of grazing.
Impoundments, roads, and other depressions would be backfilled, as described in the reclamation
plan, revision 1 to meet stability requirements and the geomorphic character of the region and
surrounding areas.
Prevention of mass movement of reclaimed slopes, embankments, roads, or other fill areas would
be achieved through the construction of fill areas in lifts of 24 inches or less, with the addition of
water, and the areas wheel rolled to achieve compaction. Since the areas will not be required to
support any structures or weight other than overlying material, these procedures will be adequate
to prevent mass movement.
The soil and rock stockpiles would be used as part of the final reclamation for fill and vegetation
growth. No stockpiles would remain on the surface in the permit area after final reclamation.
Given the expected geochemical properties of the excavated and stockpiled overburden, the
potential for acid and other toxic drainage is believed to be inconsequential. However, RHR
would characterize the excavated materials as a part of the NM Mining Act Baseline Data Report
in addition to the NMED Discharge Plan process. These excavated materials would be analyzed
to determine their potential for release of acid or other toxic constituents. Material excavated
during construction of the mine shafts and vent holes would be temporarily stored in designed
48 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest