Surface Mining Reclamation

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Surface Mining Land Conservation and Reclamation Act

The Division of Conservation (DOC) is responsible for administering the Surface-Mining Land Conservation and Reclamation Act (Mined Land Reclamation Program). The Act requires that producers who mine industrial materials or minerals of commercial value such as sand, gravel, limestone, clay, gypsum, shale, sandstone, silt, caliche, volcanic ash or salt be licensed to operate a mine, produers also have to register their mining sites, file a reclamation plan for each site, submit a reclamation bond and reclaim mining sites upon completion of mining operations.

Reclamation Trucks Pit Crushing

The major industries affected by the Act include companies and counties who surface mine sand, gravel and limestone for aggregate. The mining of coal, production of oil and gas and mining within the banks of streams are not subject to the Act. The DOC administers the Surface Mining Land Conservation and Reclamation Act (K.S.A. 49-601-624) that became effective July 1, 1994. The purpose of the program is to ensure any land disturbed for mining purposes, other than coal and gas, is reclaimed.

A Reclamation Plan and a Reclamation Bond is required when a company applies for a license and registers a site. K.A.R. 11-8-8 has established the reclamation bond amounts at $400.00 per acre for sand and gravel operations, and $600.00 per acre for all other minerals. Some counties require a reclamation bond greater than the established amount to meet their conditional use order. The program requires an Annual Report and Site Registration Renewal each year indicating the number of acres affected and tons of material produced. Daily operations and conditional use orders outlined in the company's operational plan are usually not a part of the program. Rather, the program is more involved at the closing stages of a site to assist in final reclamation planning and inspection to assure reclamation requirements have been met. When all requirements are met, the Reclamation Bond can be released.

RALIS - Reclamation Ag Lime Information System

The Kansas Department of Agriculture has begun implementing a requirement that all licensing and registration renewals for all agency programs be completed online.

The new system addresses all program licensing, registration, and reporting requirements. The official name for the database is Reclamation Ag Lime Information System (RALIS).

Below is the link to RALIS; we recommend saving this link to your desktop, as it will be used to renew your mining license, which is due December 31 of each year, as well as completing your Annual Mine Report, which is due April 1 of each year.

RALIS

Governor's Mined Land Reclamation Award

Each year producers, private and county, are encouraged to submit applications for outstanding reclamation work completed during the previous year. A review committee made up of six representatives from agencies who have programs involving natural resources review the applications and select the award recipient. The award is presented by the Governor or a representative of the Governor at the Kansas Aggregate Producer's Association Annual Conference held in January. The state winner's application is then submitted for consideration for the National Association of State Land Reclamationists (NASLR) Non-coal Reclamation Award.

Award Recipients

Governor's

2002 Bayer Construction Co., Inc. -- Manhattan -- Ebert Quarry
2002 Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. -- Olathe -- Big Springs
2003 Fogle Quarry, Inc. -- Ottawa -- Fogle Quarry
2003 Central Sand, Inc. -- Wichita -- 65th Street Site
2004 Bayer Stone, Inc. -- St.Marys -- Cottonwood Falls
2005 Hunt Midwest Mining, Inc. -- Kansas City -- Lyndon Quarry
2006 Hamm Quarries, Inc. -- Perry -- Grantville Quarry
2007 Bayer Construction Company, Inc. -- Manhattan -- Moore Quarry
2008 Midwest Minerals, Inc. -- Pittsburg -- Pittsburg Quarry
2009 Cornejo Materials, Inc. – Wichita – Clark Quarry
2009 Special Recognition to Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks - Folgle Quarry
2010 Bayer Construction Company, Inc. – Manhattan - Stevens Quarry
2011 Mid-States Materials, LLC - Lecompton - Big Springs Quarry
2012 Harshman Construction, LLC - Cedar Point - Finerty Quarry
2013 Mid-States Materials, LLC - Lecompton - Big Springs Quarry - Phase II
2014 Hamm, Inc. - Perry - Overbrook Quarry
2015 Alsop Sand Co., Inc. - Stone Lake Addition, City of Salina
2016 Bayer Construction Co., Inc. - Clay County - Martin Quarry
2017 Mid-States Materials, LLC - Lecompton - Big Springs Quarry - Phase III
2018 Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. - Marion - North Marion Quarry
2019 Hamm Companies - Herington - Herington Quarry
2020 Acme Brick Company - Kanopolis - Vondra
2021 Mid-States Materials LLC - Scranton - Plummer Creek
2022 Hamm Companies - Onaga - Onaga Quarry
2023 McCoy Rock Quarry - Alma - Bellinger
2024 Hamm Companies - Onaga - Onaga Quarry

National

2003 Fogle Quarry, Inc. - Ottawa - Fogle Quarry
2008 Bayer Construction Company, Inc. - Manhattan - Moore Quarry
2010 Bayer Construction Company, Inc. – Manhattan - Stevens Quarry
2012 Harshman Construction, LLC - Cedar Point - Finerty Quarry
2017 Mid-States Materials, LLC - Lecompton - Big Springs Quarry - Phase III
2020 Hamm Companies - Herington - Herington Quarry
2021 ACME Brick Company - Kanopolis - Vondra
2022 Mid-States Materials LLC - Scranton - Plummer Creek
2024 McCoy Rock Quarry - Alma - Bellinger Quarry

Latest News

Hamm, Inc. wins 2024 Governor’s Mined Land Reclamation Award

Hamm, Inc. received the 2024 Governor’s Mined Land Reclamation Award from the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Conservation on January 9, 2025.

This award recognizes companies that excel in implementing mined land reclamation and convey a positive image of mining in Kansas; Hamm was recognized for their reclamation work on the Onaga, Kansas, rock quarry site. For this project, over two million tons of rock was mined and 48 acres fully restored in under four years. This property utilized an important natural resource to support a renewable energy project and was then restored to maintain the spirit of the native Kansas prairie.

The Onaga quarry was mined for the Cottonwood and Neva Limestone members of the Grenola Limestone Formation. These limestone units provided quality construction aggregate to a large renewable energy wind farm project in the area. The reclamation project restored the topography to a naturally sloping condition, shaped the topographic surface so water can be retained, and restored the remainder of disturbed areas to native grasslands. The property is now a mixture of a flowing native grassland prairie, wetland flora and fauna, and cattle grazing. A pond has also been established which now supports wetland habitat and is an important source of water for the landowner’s cattle business.

Hamm, Inc. is based in Perry, Kansas; it operates 16 aggregate quarries across the state and has over 500 employees.

For more information about the Governor’s Mined Land Reclamation Award, contact Christina Koelzer at KDA Division of Conservation, 785-564-6626 or Christina.Koelzer@ks.gov.