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April 2008, VOL. 26,
NO. 1
The Interstate Mining Compact Commission (IMCC)
recently announced the recipients of its annual national
reclamation awards. Named after the charter executive director
of the Compact, the Kenes C. Bowling National Mine Reclamation
Awards are presented each year to mining operations in the coal
and noncoal categories that have demonstrated excellence in
reclamation based on achievement in five categories: compliance;
contemporaneous reclamation; drainage control; bond release (or
reclamation success); and innovativeness.
The 2008 winner in the coal category is ICG Eastern, LLC, Birch
River Mine Complex located in Webster County, Cowen, West
Virginia. The 2008 winner in the noncoal category is The Arundel
Corporation’s, Greenspring Quarry located in Baltimore,
Maryland.
The 2008 winner in the noncoal category, The Arundel
Corporation, Greenspring Quarry, is located in Baltimore,
Maryland. The Greenspring Quarry was nominated by the Maryland
Department of the Environment for its successful reclamation of
the site which led to the development of the property for
residential and commercial purposes, including a final quarry
pit lake. The reclamation resulted in an aesthetic and upscale
planned development site which fits well within the local
framework.
First operated circa 1877, and finally closed in 1999, the
quarry while in operation was capable of producing more than 1
million tons of marble per year at a rate of about 500 tons per
hour. When it closed in 1999, the 100-acre permitted site
included a 40-acre quarry that was some 500 feet deep. It was
estimated that it would take from 5 to 10 years for the quarry
to fill with water depending on rainfall and permitted stream
diversions. It appears the quarry will be filled to the final
lake level at the 10-year mark.
As part of the reclamation, historic streams that had been
relocated by the quarry operation decades ago had to be
reestablished. The south tributary of Moores Branch was restored
to provide scouring and sediment load downstream and now
features a meandering stream channel, trees, rocks, and
vegetation. A temporary bypass of much of the flow of the main
stem of Moores Branch provides base flow, with excess storm
water directed to the quarry to help provide storm water
management. Prior to this action, storm water management was
absent from this deteriorated urban watershed. A cold water
discharge was installed in the east end of the quarry to provide
cool water for native trout populations downstream. A portion of
Moores Branch was also enhanced by off-site reclamation work
including removing fish blockages, installing boulders to
control the current, regrading severely degraded stream
segments, and re-establishing native vegetation. An area of
former wash ponds along the stream was reclaimed as a wetland in
the flood plain of the stream, providing further water quality
improvements.
The centerpiece of the Greenspring Quarry reclamation is the
40-acre lake. Residential and commercial development has been
incorporated into this unique setting and marketed as Quarry
Lake at Greenspring. Development features include several types
of residential housing including luxury single family homes,
townhouses, and condominiums with many units overlooking the
quarry lake. A mixed-use portion of the site blends office and
retail space for use by the immediate community and outside
guests and is known as the Shops at Quarry Lake. It includes
restaurants, boutiques, banking, drug store tenants, and a
state-of-the-art health center. There is also a clubhouse with
exercise and recreational areas. A liberal use of attractive
stone is found throughout construction on the premises, further
evoking the feeling that it is a former quarry site. Black
railings, quarry fencing, and accents throughout the development
help tie the identity of the site together.
The Arundel Corporation’s parent company, Florida Rock
Industries, was recently acquired by Vulcan Materials Company
located in Birmingham, Alabama.
The awards will be presented at a banquet being held in
conjunction with the IMCC’s Annual Meeting, May 18 - 21, 2008,
at the Teton Mountain Lodge in Teton Village (Jackson Hole),
Wyoming.
Also receiving recognition for honorable mention in the coal
category is Rio Tinto Energy America, Jacobs Ranch Mine, located
in Campbell County in Gillette, Wyoming.
For further information about the awards or the IMCC Annual
Meeting, contact Beth Botsis, Director of Programs, IMCC at
703/709-8654, fax 703/709-8655, or visit our website:
www.imcc.isa.us.
WHO IS THE
INTERSTATE MINING COMPACT COMMISSION:
The Interstate Mining Compact Commission is a multi-state
governmental agency / organization that represents the natural
resource interests of its member states. First envisioned in
1964, the Commission came into existence in 1970 with the entry
of its first four states. Since that time, 19 additional states
have enacted legislation bringing them into the Compact, and 5
additional states have become associate members as they pursue
enactment of legislation which will make them full members. The
Commission established its headquarters in the Northern Virginia
suburbs of Washington, D.C. in 1988. The states are officially
represented by their Governors who serve as Commissioners. The
Commission operates through several committees composed of duly
appointed representatives of the Governors from their respective
Departments of Natural Resources or Environmental Protection.
To learn more about Koren Development, please call (410)
740-1010.
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