| Mineral Land Regulation and Reclamation |
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2004 MLR Awards
Outstanding Operator - R.D. Mac. Inc., Union County - Contact Jay Collman, 541-963-8601
Background:
RD Mac has operated in the LaGrande area for several decades. Their mine and plant site was located in Island City adjacent to the Grand Ronde River. To reduce conflicts with neighbors and potential impacts to the river, RD Mac started the process of relocating their business in 1998. A new site was found next to the interstate highway three miles south of the river.
The permit area is approximately 119 acres in size, and is surrounded by irrigated agricultural lands (alfalfa and mixed pasture grasses). The topography is very flat, as the site is located on the alluvial plain of the Grand Ronde drainage. The present-day channel of the Grand Ronde River is about 3 miles north of the property. The dominant soil map unit is the Umapine silt-loam, varying in thickness from 2 to 4 feet. This is a poorly drained alkaline soil.
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Even before RD Mac had gained county land use authority to develop this site as an aggregate resource, several thousand trees were planted along the perimeter of the property boundary in March 2000. These trees are irrigated and the survival rate exceeds 90%. The trees will provide valuable visual screening in the near future, especially along the western and eastern boundary. A DOGAMI permit was issued for the new site in January 2001.
A state-of-the art concrete batch plant was designed and built at the new site. A new processing plant was built.
Topsoil and overburden are being stripped separately. Overburden is used to construct visual and sound berms around the ponds. Soil material will be placed on the berms and revegetated.
A series of six excavation ponds will be completed, ranging in size from 6 to 13 acres.
The first pond has been developed with excavated 3:1 in water slopes. Excavated in-water slopes reduce the reclamation bonding liability for this operation.
The reclamation procedures will be based on a post-mining land use of recreation for pond areas and agriculture for the remaining areas. Due to the proximity of this site to an airport, wildlife enhancement of the ponds is not encouraged. Concurrent reclamation: pond sloping, and placement of soils and revegetation will take place as each pond area is mined out. At the end of mining all berms will be removed.
RD Mac has developed a high tech aggregate extraction and processing operation that not only protects adjacent natural resources but went beyond county and state requirements to address concerns to the surrounding community.
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To learn more about The Mineral Land Regulation and Reclamation Program at DOGAMI, click here
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