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Remediation of Mining Waste at Creek Site
Environmental Field Services was contracted by a Colorado-based engineering firm to perform the remediation of mining waste and restoration of sites around a creek in Oklahoma. The sites included existing chat piles, other mine and mill waste, smelter waste, and mine features including subsidence features, open mine shafts, and cased borings, at the Site. The primary objective of the project was to conduct removal of source material, associated waste materials, and impacted soils from the site and to complete the restoration of the properties.
Specific activities conducted by EFS included preparation of site specific plans for Health & Safety, Waste Management, Construction Quality Assurance, Traffic Control, and Environmental Protection; mobilization of equipment resources and personnel; clearing grubbing and debris management of 10 acres of the site; establishment of site preparation, erosion control measures, and vegetative debris over 50 acres; construction and maintenance of site access roads; installation of truck scale; removal, material management and transportation of approximately 31,000 tons of marketable chat for recycling; removal, material management and transportation of approximately 157,000 tons of unmarketable chat, tailings, soils, and waste materials for placement in a consolidation cell; filling and capping of 26 mine shafts and 23 vent openings; construction of 1700 square yards of cover over affected mine shafts and vent openings; and final grading and restoration of approximately 50 acres.
All site activities were conducted in accordance with established work plans prepared by EFS and approved by the client, along with specifications and procedures developed by the client, US EPA, and OSHA. The EFS team at the site was acknowledged for their safety commitment at the February 2014 event hosted by the client in celebration of a Bronze Award for Health and Safety they received for efforts associated with the remediation activities.