Surface mining is an important industrial activity that primarily provides fill materials and sand and gravel for construction activities. Given the nature of the activities, surface mining can generate significant sedimentation and erosion which can lead to water quality and fish and wildlife impacts. For that reason, each State environmental agencies have surface mining regulations that must be complied with both during the mining activities and the reclamation actions that must take place following the completion of the mining activities.
The Headwaters staff has extensive experience in the completion of surface mining permits and the development of reclamation plans for most of the State environmental agencies in the southern United States. Our knowledgeable resource managers can assist you in completing the mining permit applications and can work with the project engineers in the design of the mining location and specifically in the development of the reclamation plan and the implementation of the reclamation plans. In many cases, the surface mining activities can also have Section 404 Wetland Permit requirements and the Headwaters staff is well experienced in the coordination process for both regulatory frameworks.