| µg/m3 |
|
micrograms per cubic meter |
| AB2588 Program |
|
A common name for the California Air Toxics "Hot Spots" Information
and Assessment Act of 1987; references California Assembly Bill (AB) 2588
(aka the Connelly Bill), which established the "Hot Spots" Act. |
| ACEC |
|
area of critical environmental concern |
| ACHP |
|
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation |
| ACOE |
|
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| afy |
|
acre-feet-per year |
| AIRFA |
|
American Indian Religious Freedom Act |
| Amos-Ogilby-East Mesa Basin |
|
A ground water basin of approximately 860 square miles located within
the southeastern portion of Imperial County, California |
| AMSL |
|
above mean sea level |
| ANFO |
|
A mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, used as an explosive for blasting
purposes |
| ANP |
|
acid neutralization potential |
| AP |
|
acid potential |
| APE |
|
area of potential effect |
| aquifer |
|
Permeable strata of gravel or sand that serve as conduits for ground water
flow |
| area of the Proposed Action |
|
Area over which all of the Proposed Action would occur, consisting of the
Project area and the overbuilt 92 kV/34.5 kV transmission line
corridor |
| ATCC |
|
area of traditional cultural concern |
| ATF |
|
United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms |
| AWVTE |
|
average weekday vehicle trip ends |
| B.P. |
|
Before Present |
| backfill |
|
The process of refilling a mined-out pit with waste rock |
| BACT |
|
Best Available Control Technology |
| bajadas |
|
A type of plain found in arid or semi-arid regions, formed by deposition
of debris in fan-shaped spreads, commonly as a result of sheet floods |
| barren solution |
|
Non-precious metals-bearing dilute cyanide solution |
| bgs |
|
below ground surface |
| BLM |
|
United States Bureau of Land Management |
| BMPs |
|
Best Management Practices |
| CAA |
|
Clean Air Act |
| CAAA |
|
Clean Air Act Amendments |
| CAAQS |
|
California Ambient Air Quality Standards |
| Cal-OSHA |
|
California Occupational Safety and Health Act (or Administration) |
| Cal-EPA |
|
California Environmental Protection Agency |
| California Desert Protection
Act |
|
A 1994 act which, among other things, gave wilderness designation to 69 individual
areas of public land within the CDCA |
| California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Colorado River Basin Region |
|
The California agency responsible for protection of the waters of the state
in the Colorado River Basin Region, and for implementing California regulations,
through the issuance of Waste Discharge Requirements and National Pollution
Discharge Elimination System permits |
| California Desert Conservation
Area |
|
Those public lands located in the California desert which have been identified
by Congress in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 as a unique
area in need of special management by the Bureau of Land Management |
| Caltrans |
|
California Department of Transportation |
| CAPCOA |
|
California Air Pollution Control Officers Association |
| CARB |
|
California Air Resources Board |
| CCAA |
|
California Clean Air Act |
| CCR |
|
California Code of Regulations |
| CDCA |
|
California Desert Conservation
Area |
| CDFG |
|
California Department of Fish and Game |
| CDHS |
|
California Department of Health Services |
| CEQ |
|
Council on Environmental Quality |
| CEQA |
|
California Environmental Quality Act |
| CESA |
|
California Endangered Species Act |
| CFR |
|
Code of Federal Regulations |
| chipping station |
|
An area which is comprised of a core and several flakes of the same worked
material |
| CIP |
|
carbon-in-pulp |
| cleared circle |
|
Frequently interpreted as the archaeological remains of temporary shelters
which were constructed or bent wooden poles and thatch |
| CMAGR |
|
Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range |
| CNDDB |
|
California Natural Diversity Data Base |
| CNPPA |
|
California Native Plant Protection Act |
| CNPS |
|
California Native Plant Society |
| CO |
|
carbon monoxide |
| CO2 |
|
carbon dioxide |
| Conditional Use Permit |
|
The permit issued by Imperial County which authorizes certain activities
in the county as a conditional use within certain zoned areas of the county |
| cone of depression |
|
The depression in a water table or piezometric
surface produced by pumping |
| County Road S-34 |
|
Ogilby Road |
| CRWQCB |
|
California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Colorado River Basin Region |
| CSC |
|
California species of concern |
| CUP |
|
Conditional Use Permit |
| cyanide |
|
A solid chemical compound (sodium or calcium cyanide) which is dissolved
in water to form a solution suitable for the extraction of precious metals
from ore by using a leaching process |
| desert pavement |
|
An area consisting of stones that have been closely packed together to form
a uniform, stony surface, generally without vegetation |
| DWMA |
|
Desert Wildlife Management Area |
| EA |
|
Environmental Assessment |
| EIP |
|
Emission Inventory Plan |
| EIR |
|
Environmental Impact Report |
| EIS |
|
Environmental Impact Statement |
| EMA |
|
Environmental Management Associates, Inc. |
| endangered species |
|
An animal or plant species which is in danger of extinction throughout all
or a significant portion of its range |
| Environmental Assessment |
|
An analytical document prepared under the National Environmental Policy
Act that outlines the potential environmental effects of the Proposed Action
and its possible alternatives and leads to a decision to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement or a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) |
| Environmental Impact Statement |
|
An analytical document prepared under the National Environmental Policy
Act that discusses the potential significant impacts to the human environment
of a Proposed Action and its possible alternatives which is used by decision
makers to weigh the environmental consequences of a potential decision |
| Environmental Impact Report |
|
A detailed statement prepared under the California Environmental Quality
Act describing and analyzing the significant environmental effects of the
proposed project and discussing ways to mitigate or avoid the effects |
| ephemeral |
|
Temporary surface water flows occurring only after precipitation events |
| ESA |
|
The federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 |
| fanglomerates |
|
A conglomerate formed by the lithifaction of an alluvial fan |
| FCR |
|
field contact representative |
| fee land |
|
Land in which the United States government has conveyed the fee simple interest
in the surface, and possibly the minerals, into private ownership |
| FEMA |
|
Federal Emergency Management Agency |
| FIRM |
|
National Flood Insurance Program Flood Insurance Rate Map |
| FLPMA |
|
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 |
| ft/day |
|
feet per day; see hydraulic conductivity |
| ft/sec |
|
feet per sec; see hydraulic conductivity |
| ft2/day |
|
square foot per day; see transmissivity |
| General Plan |
|
Imperial County General Plan |
| geoglyph |
|
An arrangement of rocks forming a design |
| GGX |
|
Glamis Gold Exploration, Inc. |
| Glamis Imperial |
|
Glamis Imperial Corporation |
| gpd |
|
gallons per day |
| gpd/ft2 |
|
gallons per day per square foot; see hydraulic conductivity |
| gpd/ft |
|
gallons per day per foot; see transmissivity |
| gpm |
|
gallons per minute |
| GPS |
|
global positioning system |
| H2S |
|
hydrogen sulfide |
| HAP |
|
hazardous air pollutant |
| HAZMAT |
|
hazardous materials |
| HCN |
|
hydrogen cyanide |
| HDPE |
|
high density polyethylene |
| heap leach pad |
|
A facility lined by impermeable material to collect the leach solutions
which are slowly applied to a pile of ore placed in several layers, each
approximately 25 feet in height, on top |
| HMP |
|
Habitat Management Plan |
| Holocene |
|
An Epoch of the Quaternary period, from the end of the Pleistocene (approximately
10,000 to 11,000 years ago) to the present |
| hydraulic shovel |
|
A hydraulically powered and operated device used to lift and load large
quantities of material |
| hydraulic conductivity |
|
The quantity of water that would pass through a unit cross-sectional area
of a porous material per unit of time under a hydraulic gradient of 1.00
at a specified temperature; generally expressed in units of gallons per
square foot per day (equals 1.337 x 10-1 feet per day,
or 4.715 x 10-5 centimeters per second) |
| ICAPCD |
|
Imperial County Air Pollution Control District |
| ICDHS-DEH |
|
Imperial County Department of Health Services, Division of Environmental
Health |
| ICFGC |
|
Imperial County Fish and Game Commission |
| ICPBD |
|
Imperial County Planning/Building Department |
| ICPC |
|
Imperial County Planning Commission |
| ICPWD |
|
Imperial County Public Works Department |
| IID |
|
Imperial Irrigation District |
| Imperial County Planning/Building Department |
|
Local lead agency responsible for implementing the California Surface Mining
and Reclamation Act (SMARA) and the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA), and for approving a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) with accompanying
Reclamation Plan subject to conditions |
| ISDRA |
|
Imperial Sand Dunes Recreational Area |
| isolates |
|
Less than five (5) artifacts in a 2.5 square meter area |
| Jurassic |
|
The period of time extending from 195 million years to 135 million
years, having a duration of 60 million years |
| Key Observation Points |
|
Points which were selected as representative of the possible views of a
project area |
| KOPs |
|
Key Observation Points |
| LCRS |
|
leachate collection and recovery system |
| leachate |
|
Solution of soluble materials which is formed from percolation of water
through strata |
| leached ore |
|
The ore that has been leached of its precious metals by the leaching solution
on the heap leach pad |
| lithic scatter |
|
Surface scatters of flaked stone tools and manufacturing debris |
| lode |
|
A mineral deposit that is contained within bedrock, as opposed to a placer
deposit |
| MCAS |
|
Marine Corps Air Station |
| MCL |
|
maximum contaminant limit |
| migratory bird |
|
Any bird, whatever its origin and whether or not raised in captivity, which
belongs to species listed in Section 10.13 of the Migratory Bird Treaty
Act (16 USC 701-718h), or which is a mutation or a hybrid of any such
species, including any part, nest, or egg of any such bird, or any product,
whether or not manufactured, which consists, or is composed in whole or
part, of such bird or part, nest, or egg thereof; all birds are considered
migratory with the exception of: (a) the English sparrow; (b) starlings;
and (c) barnyard pigeons |
| mine and process area |
|
See Project mine and process area |
| Miocene |
|
The epoch of the Tertiary period between the Oligocene and the Pliocene
epochs |
| MMPA |
|
Mining and Mineral Policy Act of 1970 |
| MOA |
|
Memorandum of Agreement |
| MSHA |
|
Mine Safety and Health Administration |
| NAAQSs |
|
National Ambient Air Quality Standards |
| National Environmental Policy Act |
|
The act that established the procedures by which the environmental consequences
of a decision by agencies of the federal government are analyzed and documented
prior to the decision being made |
| NDOW |
|
Nevada Department of Wildlife |
| NECDMP |
|
Northern and Eastern Colorado Desert Coordinated Management Plan |
| NEPA |
|
National Environmental Policy Act |
| NHPA |
|
National Historic Preservation Act |
| NO2 |
|
nitrogen dioxide |
| NOA |
|
Notice of Availability |
| NOC |
|
Notice of Completion |
| NOI |
|
Notice of Intent |
| NOP |
|
Notice of Preparation |
| NORM |
|
naturally occurring radioactive materials |
| NOx |
|
oxides of nitrogen |
| NP |
|
neutralization potential |
| NPDES |
|
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit |
| NRC |
|
National Research Council |
| NRHP |
|
National Register of Historic Places |
| NURE |
|
national uranium resource evaluation |
| NVD |
|
night vision device |
| NVG |
|
night vision goggle |
| NWS |
|
National Weather Service |
| O3 |
|
ozone |
| OHV |
|
off-highway vehicle |
| OHWM |
|
ordinary high water mark |
| open pit |
|
The area from which ore and waste rock are removed |
| OSHA |
|
Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| Overbuilding |
|
Overbuilding consists of installing new, taller, wooden poles adjacent to
existing wooden poles; installing higher voltage conductors near the top
of new poles; moving the existing lower voltage conductors from existing
poles to below the higher voltage conductors on new poles; then removing
the existing poles |
| patented land |
|
A mining claim for which the United States government has conveyed the fee
simple interest in the surface and minerals into private ownership |
| Pb |
|
lead |
| PCR |
|
project contact person |
| placer |
|
A deposit of mineral resources which is formed by an alluvial process and
contained within alluvial material |
| Plan of Operation |
|
A document prepared by the proponent of any mining development of locatable
minerals and filed with the Bureau of Land Management, which presents a
detailed discussion of the proposed project |
| Pleistocene |
|
The first epoch of the Quaternary Period in the Cenozoic Era, characterized
by the spreading and recession of continental ice sheets, and the appearance
of modern man |
| Pliocene |
|
The last epoch of the Tertiary Period in the Cenozoic Era, during which
many modern plants and animals developed |
| PM |
|
particulate matter |
| PM10 |
|
particulate matter that is less than 10 microns in diameter |
| PM2.5 |
|
particulate matter that is less than 2.5 microns in diameter |
| PMP |
|
probable maximum precipitation |
| POO |
|
Plan of Operation |
| porosity |
|
The percentage of the bulk volume of rock, sediment, or soil that is occupied
by interstitial spaces |
| pot drops |
|
Pottery concentrations where individual pots were accidentally or intentionally
broken and abandoned; pot drops are often found along trails or near water
sources |
| ppbv |
|
parts per billion by volume |
| ppm |
|
parts per million |
| ppmv |
|
parts per million by volume |
| Precambrian |
|
An era of geological time preceding the Paleozoic era, before 570 million
years ago; approximately 90 percent of all geological time occurred within
this period |
| pregnant solution |
|
A precious metals-bearing cyanide solution which contains sufficient quantities
of gold and silver that can be sent to the precious metal recovery plant
to remove the precious metals from the solution |
| Project |
|
Imperial Project |
| Project ancillary area |
|
Used to describe the Project area excluding the Project mine and process
area, which contains the ground water production wells, a buried water pipeline,
and a new 92 kV/13.2 kV electrical transmission line, all located
adjacent to Indian Pass Road, and two (2) relocated portions of Indian
Pass Road. |
| Project mine and process area |
|
Used to describe the Project area excluding the Project ancillary area,
which contains all of the open pits, waste rock stockpiles, soil stockpiles,
ephemeral wash diversion channels, administration office and maintenance
facility area, heap leach facility, precious metal recovery plant, an electric
substation, and internal roads and electrical distribution lines. |
| Project area |
|
Includes the Project mine and process area and the Project ancillary area |
| Proposed Action |
|
The action proposed to be undertaken, consisting of two (2) general
components: the Imperial Project, a proposed open-pit, heap-leach, precious
metal mine; and the "overbuilding" of a sixteen (16)-mile
section of an existing 34.5 kV utility electrical transmission line
with 92 kV conductors to deliver the necessary electrical power to
the Imperial Project |
| PSD |
|
Prevention of Significant Deterioration |
| public land |
|
Any land and interest in land owned by the United States within the states
and administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of
Land Management, without regard to how the United States acquired ownership,
except: (1) lands located on the Outer Continental Shelf; and (2) lands
held for the benefit of Indians, Aleuts, and Eskimos |
| PVC |
|
polyvinyl chloride |
| QA/QC |
|
quality assurance/quality control |
| Quaternary |
|
The second period of the Cenozoic era covering the past two (2) to three
(3) million years |
| R.S. 2477 |
|
Revised Statute 2477 |
| RACM |
|
Reasonably Available Control Measures |
| RCPG |
|
Regional Comprehensive Plan and Guide |
| Reclamation Plan |
|
A document submitted to the Bureau of Land Management and Imperial County,
the respective federal and local lead agencies, that details the specific
measures to be taken by the project proponent to reclaim the project lands
during mining operations and after mining and leaching have been completed |
| ROCs |
|
reactive organic chemicals |
| ROD |
|
Record of Decision |
| ROGs |
|
reactive organic gases |
| ROM |
|
run-of-mine |
| ROW |
|
right-of-way |
| Run-of-Mine |
|
Describes ore which is not crushed prior to processing |
| Salton Trough |
|
A landward extension of the East Pacific Rise, a zone of rifting and crustal
spreading which created the Gulf of California |
| SBB&M |
|
San Bernardino Baseline & Meridian |
| SCAG |
|
Southern California Association of Governments |
| SEDAB |
|
Southeast Desert Air Basin |
| sensitive species |
|
Plant or animal species which are susceptible or vulnerable to activity
impacts or habitat alterations; a plant or animal species recognized as
being depleted, rare, threatened, or endangered and recognized as requiring
special management to prevent placement on federal or state lists |
| sensitive receptor |
|
In general, areas of habitation where the intrusion of noise has the potential
to adversely impact the occupancy, use or enjoyment of the environment;
sensitive receptors include, but are not limited to, residences, schools,
hospitals, parks and office buildings |
| SHPO |
|
State Historic Preservation Officer |
| significant environmental impact |
|
A substantial, or potentially substantial, adverse change in any of the
physical conditions within the area affected by the project including land,
air, water, minerals, flora, fauna, ambient noise, and objects of historic
or aesthetic significance |
| SIP |
|
State Implementation Plan |
| SMARA |
|
Surface Mining and Reclamation Act |
| SO2 |
|
sulfur dioxide |
| SO4 |
|
sulfate |
| soil stockpile |
|
Locations within the mine and process area where excavated soils are stockpiled
for future revegetation purposes |
| solution ditch |
|
An above-ground, trough-shaped structure that is lined with an impermeable
material and engineered to convey cyanide solution from the heap leach pad
to the v ; none would be used for the Imperial
Project |
| v |
|
A bowl-shaped structure that is lined with an impermeable material and engineered
to contain cyanide solution from the heap leach pad for processing in the
precious metals recovery plant and subsequent recirculation to the heap
leach pad |
| SOx |
|
sulfur oxides |
| SPLP |
|
synthetic precipitation leaching procedure |
| SSAB |
|
Salton Sea Air Basin |
| storativity |
|
The volume of water that an aquifer releases from
storage per unit area of aquifer per unit decline
in the component of hydraulic head normal to that surface. Storativity is
also referred to as storage coefficient and is dimensionless. |
| Storm Water NPDES |
|
California Storm Water National Pollution Discharge Elimination System |
| Surface Mining and Reclamation Act |
|
An act passed by the California legislature which prescribes the reclamation
of mined lands within the state of California and directs the Counties within
the state to review and approve a Reclamation Plan of each mining operation
as part of the County's Conditional Use Permit process |
| swell factor |
|
Term used to describe condition whereby broken rock occupies a greater volume
than the same weight of solid rock |
| SWPPP |
|
Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan |
| T/E |
|
threatened or endangered |
| TCP |
|
Traditional Cultural Property |
| TDS |
|
total dissolved solids |
| TPY |
|
tons per year |
| transmissivity |
|
The rate at which water is transmitted through a unit width of an aquifer under a unit hydraulic gradient; generally expressed
in units of gallons per foot per day (equals 1.337 x 10-1
square foot per day) |
| TSP |
|
total suspended particulates |
| TTLC |
|
Total Threshold Concentration Limit |
| U.S. Bureau of Land Management |
|
The agency of the United States Government, under the Department of the
Interior, responsible for administering the public lands of the United States |
| UBC |
|
Uniform Building Code |
| unnecessary or undue |
|
surface disturbance greater than what would normally result when an activity
is being accomplished by a prudent operator in usual, customary, and proficient
operations of similar character and taking into consideration the effects
of operations on other resources and land uses, including those resources
used outside the area of operations |
| Unpatented |
|
A mining claim for which the United States government has not conveyed the
fee simple interest in the surface and minerals into private ownership |
| USBR |
|
United States Bureau of Reclamation |
| USC |
|
United States Code |
| USDI |
|
United States Department of Interior |
| USEPA |
|
United States Environmental Protection Agency |
| USFWS |
|
United States Fish and Wildlife Service |
| USGS |
|
United States Geological Survey |
| USMC |
|
United States Marine Corps |
| vadose zone |
|
The unsaturated zone above the water table |
| VFR |
|
visual flight rule |
| Visual Resource Management
System |
|
The Bureau of Land Management system used to identify visual values; establish
objectives for managing these values; and provide information to evaluate
the visual effects of proposed projects |
| VOCs |
|
volatile organic compounds |
| VRM |
|
visual resource management |
| WAPA |
|
Western Area Power Authority |
| waste rock stockpile |
|
Location within the mine and process area where excavated waste rock from
the pits is stockpiled |
| Waste Discharge Requirements |
|
A permit issued by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board which
governs the construction, operation and closure of the heap leach pad, process
ponds and the precious metals recovery plant, and any other discharges of
waste to land |
| water table |
|
The upper surface of a water-saturated zone of rock or porous media |
| WDRs |
|
Waste Discharge Requirements |
| WSA |
|
wilderness study area |
