Reclamation is a pivotal part of Westmoreland Mining LLC鈥檚 operations and commitment to the environment.
It鈥檚 also a complex, lengthy process that requires a lot of work behind the scenes.
Clayton Stenhouse, a senior environmental planner with Westmoreland Mining, said even before they start digging in the pits, the reclamation process begins, as all of the suitable soils are salvaged. Cover soils are split from subsoils, and will be hauled to areas already undergoing reclamation, or will be put into stockpiles for future use.
鈥淚t all works together,鈥� said Stenhouse. 鈥淏efore we start excavating our next pit, we keep in mind that the back-end, the reclamation part, is to follow, so everything works in unison and at a very large scale.鈥�
The dragline removes the overburden, which is placed in the adjacent, mined-out cut.
鈥淭he bulldozers will come in and recontour the overburden removed by the dragline,鈥� said Stenhouse. 鈥淭his is another part of the first stages of the reclamation process. On the backend, the dozers will be levelling those piles that were placed there by the dragline. They鈥檒l start reclaiming the land that way, and there are slopes that we鈥檙e required to meet and reclaim, according to the regulations that are put out by the Ministry of the Environment.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 kept in mind as the dozers are doing the reclaim. They鈥檙e reclaiming our ramps and our end cuts to a certain per cent slope that is a requirement by the industry.鈥�
Once the levelling is complete, Westmoreland will start covering the levelled areas with the cover soil.
鈥淭he suitable soils that we鈥檙e salvaging, then, at the same time, they鈥檒l be hauled on the backend and dumped on areas where we have finished levelling. Those areas are then levelled with dozers covering the recontoured land,鈥� said Stenhouse.
Once the cover soil is in place, then they will use an approved seed that they use that will meet end land use criteria.
鈥淧art of the whole mine process is determining what our end land use is going to be once we are done. We base our seed choices on that fact, so if we said we鈥檙e going to use a native seed blend in a particular area, then that鈥檚 what we seed it to. If our end land use is going to be native, that鈥檚 what we do. Or if it鈥檚 livestock grazing, then we鈥檒l seed it to a grass blend. It鈥檚 all in efforts to meet our end land use requirement.鈥�
A lot of engineering and design work goes on as well, because they have to factor in the different slopes to make sure they attain the proper slopes based on regulations.
Weekly meetings take place at Westmoreland regarding reclamation, and they execute their plans on a daily basis.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big undertaking, but we all work together as one big unified unit as we progress in the direction we鈥檙e heading,鈥� said Stenhouse.
For example, one older pit area where they鈥檙e finishing up reclamation consists of three sections of land, which would be just under 2,000 acres. It would be one of the smaller pits they鈥檙e touching up.
The length of time for reclamation is dependent not only on the size of the site but also the different types of soil textures. In one area they might have a rocky soil where they have a suitable soil depth of 10 centimetres or less, and other areas they have at least 40 centimetres of silty clay soil.
鈥淭he soil texture definitely plays a factor in our reclamation efforts. Some pits are a lot sandier, and in those areas, we try to limit our slopes. We try to have less slopes in those areas, just to prevent wind erosion and water erosion.鈥�
Reclamation efforts also happen throughout the year, which presents a challenge. Trying to put cover soil down in the middle of winter can be a challenge, as they have to contend with snow cover and limited daylight hours.
Once Westmoreland finishes mining an area and it鈥檚 been in use for non-mining purposes for a while, the company applies for a reclamation release. Since 2018, the company has managed to release just under 4,000 acres of land.
鈥淲e do environmental studies on it, so there鈥檒l be a vegetation assessment and wildlife assessments,鈥� he said.
If the land is leased out and grazed, the mines will consult the lessee about the land. They鈥檙e usually the best resource, Stenhouse said.
An official application will be submitted to the Ministry of Environment, who reviews the report and the scientific data that has been collected. The ministry conducts an extensive review that includes reports and walking kilometres on the land to ensure everything checks out.
If everything looks good, the final approval is given.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited and proud of that fact, that feat that we鈥檝e accomplished,鈥� said Stenhouse.
People are often surprised at how much goes on with reclamation, not just the work itself, but with planning, legwork and engineering for the designs.
鈥淲hat a lot of people see is the end result, and we鈥檙e always hoping that the reclaimed mine lands are more attractive than they were prior to mining,鈥� he said.
Some people will like the flat surface that existed before mining, while others prefer the rolling topography left behind.
Westmoreland Mining wants to be an effective steward of the land. Reclamation is completed safely and efficiently, with the goal of returning the land to a better state than when it started.
鈥淥bviously you鈥檙e disturbing a massive area of land, so when you鈥檙e putting these areas back, it鈥檚 not going to be the same,鈥� said Stenhouse.
They always try to incorporate waterfowl habitat, bodies of water and other amenities at the end of the process. If the land was used for livestock grazing before mining began, Westmoreland wants to see it used for pastureland again.
鈥淭here is a lot of eyes on reclamation, and along with that, there鈥檚 a lot of new technology advancements and methods, too, for reclamation, which opens a lot of doors and makes the whole activity more interesting.鈥�
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