Engineering and Design Manual: Coal Refuse Disposal Facilities

Update of the manual originally published in 1975. D'Appolonia developed the industry's first design manual for coal refuse impoundments in 1972 for the MESA, the predecessor agency to MSHA, after the Buffalo Creek, WV coal refuse dam failure that caused the deaths of 125 people. The greatly expanded updated manual addresses advances made in the past 30 years in dam safety and slurry impoundment design, construction, monitoring, inspection and instrumentation. Specific design guidance has been added to the manual including engineering analysis for siting impoundments over or adjacent underground mines and consideration of earthquake impacts on refuse impoundment dam safety. The Manual represents guidance for designers, coal operators, and regulators to meet the requirements of 30 C.F.R. 77.216(a) in designing, constructing, and maintaining dams at coal mines. The guidance provides information and suggested methods and procedures to design safe and reliable impoundments and dams at coal mines because each site has unique conditions and features. Available online. Contents:
* Preface and Table of Contents (1.17MB)
* Chapter 1 - Introduction (214.05KB)
* Chapter 2 - Background and Characterization of Coal Refuse (1.33MB)
* Chapter 3 - Coal Refuse Disposal Facilities and Other Impounding Structures (827.39KB)
* Chapter 4 - Project Planning (403.64KB)
* Chapter 5 - Coal Refuse Disposal Facility Design Components (1.24MB)
* Chapter 6 - Geotechnical Exploration, Material Testing, Engineering Analysis and Design (6.13MB)
* Chapter 7, Appendix 7A-7D - Seismic Design: Stability and Deformation Analyses (5.29MB)
* Chapter 8 - Site Mining and Foundation Issues (2.78MB)
* Chapter 9 - Hydrology and Hydraulics (5.59MB)
* Chapter 10 - Environmental Considerations (0.90MB)
* Chapter 11 - Construction and Disposal Operations (1.49MB)
* Chapter 12 - Monitoring, Inspections and Facility Maintenance (876.37KB)
* Chapter 13, Appendix 13A - Instrumentation and Performance Monitoring (2.10MB)
* Chapter 14 - Emergency Action Planning (720.38KB)