805 KAR 4:155. Ground vibration
standards for surface coal mines.
RELATES TO: KRS 351.330
STATUTORY AUTHORITY: KRS Chapter 13A,
351.335
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: KRS
351.330 requires that the Department for
Natural Resources prescribe rules to ensure that the restrictions on
maximum peak particle velocity be consistent with federal statutes and
regulations. This administrative regulation effects those provisions.
Section 1. Blasting operations conducted
as part of surface coal mining, or as part of the surface operations of an
underground coal mine, shall comply with the standards contained in this
section. (1) The maximum allowable peak particle velocity for ground vibration
measured at the location of the nearest dwelling, public building, church or
commercial building shall not exceed the limits established in Table 1 as
follows:
TABLE 1. PEAK PARTICLE
VELOCITY LIMITS
Distance from blasting
site in feet
Maximum peak particle
velocity in
inches/second
0 to 300
1.25
301 to 5000
1.00
5001 and beyond
0.75
(2) The peak particle velocity specified
in this section shall be measured in three (3) mutually perpendicular
directions, and the maximum allowable limits shall apply to each of these
measurements.
(3) The ground vibration limits shall not
apply to property owned by the coal mine, or to property on which the owner
gives a written waiver to exceed the maximum allowable limits.
Section 2. (1) In place of the limits
established in Section 1 of this administrative regulation, a blaster may elect
to comply with the following graph limiting peak particle velocity based upon
the frequency content of the blast vibration. If this criterion is chosen to
limit vibration levels, the method of monitoring the vibrations and calculating
the frequency content shall be approved by the department before its implementation
by the blaster.
(2) Unless the blaster uses a seismograph
on every blast to demonstrate compliance with the maximum allowable limits established
in section 1, or has been granted a modified scale distance factor by the
department, he must comply with the scale distance equations in Table 2 as
follows:
TABLE 2. SCALE
DISTANCE EQUATIONS
Distance from blasting
site in feet
Scale distance
equations
0 to 300
W = (D/50)2
301 to 5000
W = (D/55)2
5001 and beyond
W = (D/65)2
where:
W = the maximum weight of explosives that
can be detonated per delay period.
D = the distance in feet from the blast
to the nearest dwelling, public building, school, church, commercial or
institutional building.
(3) If a blaster considers the table of
scale distance equations in subsection (2) of this section too conservative, he
may petition the department for a modified table for blasting operations at a
particular site. Such a petition shall include seismograph reports
demonstrating that any modified scale distance equations would not cause the predicted
ground vibration to exceed the peak particle velocity limits established in
Section 1 of this administrative regulation. (17 Ky.R. 3338; eff. 6-26-91; TAm
eff. 8-9-2007.)