Railroad Commission of Texas Reclamation Award

The Surface Mining and Reclamation Division has awarded the 2014 Railroad Commission of Texas Reclamation Award to Luminant Mining Company, LLC (Luminant) for their nomination submittal of “Remaking…A Partnership of Resource Conservation and Management”, which describes Luminant’s reclamation effort in the B Mine Area of the Big Brown Mine located in Freestone County. Luminant has 13 lignite mining permits. The lignite mined by Luminant at the Big Brown Mine is used in the nearby Big Brown Steam Electric Station for power generation. The award nomination reflects Luminant’s reclamation effort in establishing a landscape that mimics premine conditions and contains diverse vegetation and multiple water resources. As mining in the B Area reached the end of its life, Luminant recognized the opportunity to create a valuable water resource using the final pit. Luminant began discussions with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) which ultimately resulted in a partnership with TPWD for a long term research program related to selective breeding with largemouth bass to maximize their growth. The end lake that was created has a large 112-acre surface area, shallow benches and irregular bottom contour to enhance its use in fish research. The area that was mined also contained the Pin Oak Creek channel. Luminant’s engineers designed the restored stream so that it flows adjacent to the end lake near its orginal flow path, and during high flow events, the stream will spill into the end lake. Luminant’s revegetation effort utilized a diverse blend of plant species, with some hydrophytic vegetation planted specifically in wet areas where shallow ground water resulted in surface soil saturation which is ideal for these types of plants. Each year the Railroad Commission of Texas announces its Reclamation Awards Program, designed to recognize outstanding and innovative reclamation achievements at Texas coal mines. The program complements the Interstate Mining Compact Commission's (IMCC) Annual Reclamation Awards Program.
 

Luminant's 2014 Texas Reclamation Award Submittal