25 Pa. Code § 87.180 - Prime farmland: soil replacement
(a)
The minimum depth of soil and soil material to be reconstructed for prime
farmland shall be 48 inches, or a depth equal to the depth of a subsurface
horizon in the natural soil that inhibits root penetration, whichever is
shallower. The Department shall specify a depth greater than 48 inches whenever
necessary to restore productive capacity due to uniquely favorable soil
horizons at greater depths. Soil horizons shall be considered as inhibiting
root penetration if their densities, chemical properties or water supplying
capacities restrict or prevent penetration by roots of plants common to the
vicinity of the permit area and have little or no beneficial effect on soil
productive capacity.
(b) Soil
material shall be replaced only on land which has been first returned to final
grade and scarified according to §§
87.141,
87.142,
87.144 and
87.145, unless site-specific
evidence is provided to and approved by the Department showing that
scarification will not enhance the capability of the reconstructed soil to
achieve equivalent or higher levels of yield.
(c) The soil horizons or other suitable soil
material shall be replaced in a manner that avoids excessive compaction and
creates a reconstructed soil of equal or greater productive capacity than that
which existed before mining.
(d)
The B horizon or other suitable material specified in §
87.178(c) and (d)
(relating to prime farmland: soil removal)
shall be replaced to the thickness needed to meet the requirements of
subsection (a).
(e) The A horizon
specified in §
87.178(b) shall
be replaced as the final surface soil layer. This surface soil layer shall
equal or exceed the thickness of the original soil, as determined in §
87.83 (relating to prime
farmlands), and be replaced in a manner that protects the surface layer from
wind and water erosion before it is seeded or planted.
(f) Nutrients and soil amendments shall be
applied as needed to quickly establish vegetative growth.
Notes
This section cited in 25 Pa. Code § 86.159 (relating to self-bonding); 25 Pa. Code § 87.83 (relating to prime farmlands); 25 Pa. Code § 87.147 (relating to revegetation: general requirements); 25 Pa. Code § 87.177 (relating to prime farmland: special requirements); and 25 Pa. Code § 87.178 (relating to prime farmland: soil removal).
State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is a comparison between our most recent version and the prior quarterly release. More comparison features will be added as we have more versions to compare.
No prior version found.