Section 88.24. Geology

(a) An application shall contain a description of the geology within the proposed permit and adjacent area down to and including the aquifer system or known existing deep mine that may be affected below the lowest coal seam, bank or refuse disposal area to be affected.

(b) Old colliery maps, geological maps, geological reports, breaker or coal preparation analysis reports and other sources as needed shall be used to provide the following description:

(1) The location of the mine pool or subsurface water.

(2) The stratigraphy and thickness of the coal and overburden.

(3) The structure within the proposed permit and its relationship to the structure of the general area.

(4) Chemical analyses of the coal and overburden.

(i) The analyses shall identify coal and overburden that may contain acid-forming or toxic-forming materials to determine their content. The analyses of the coal shall include total sulfur.

(ii) The applicant may request the Department to waive the analyses in whole or in part. The waiver may be granted if the Department makes a written determination that the analyses are not necessary because other equivalent information is available to the Department in a satisfactory form.

(5) The location, identification and status of other mining within or adjacent to the proposed permit area.

(6) Other analysis the Department deems relevant.

(c) Except for bank removal and reclamation activities, test borings or core samplings shall be collected and analyzed within the proposed permit area if required by the Department to provide further evaluation data if adequate data to determine a hydrologic balance impact is not available from other sources.

The provisions of this § 88.24 adopted December 19, 1980, 10 Pa.B. 4789, effective July 31, 1982, 12 Pa.B. 2382; amended March 30, 1984, 14 Pa.B. 1143, effective August 10, 1985, 15 Pa.B. 2872; amended January 4, 1985, effective immediately upon the approval by the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior and publication thereof in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, 15 Pa.B. 13; amended June 15, 1990, 20 Pa.B. 3383, effective July 27, 1991, 21 Pa.B. 3316; amended December 15, 1995, effective December 16, 1995, 25 Pa.B. 5821. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (199040).

Notation

Authority

The provisions of this § 88.24 amended under the Surface Mining Conservation and Reclamation Act (52 P. S. § § 1396.1—1396.19a); The Clean Streams Law (35 P. S. § § 691.1—691.1001); and section 1920-A of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P. S. § 510-20).

Cross References

This section cited in 25 Pa. Code § 86.81 (relating to program services); 25 Pa. Code § 86.261 (relating to program services); 25 Pa. Code § 88.21 (relating to responsibilities); 25 Pa. Code § 88.23 (relating to description of hydrology and geology: general requirements); and 25 Pa. Code § 88.25 (relating to groundwater).