Section 300.210  Definitions Applicable to Subpart B

            "Airblast" (also known as "air overpressure") means airborne waves resulting from the detonation of explosives. Airblast may be caused by burden movement or the release of expanding gas into the air. Airblast may or may not be audible.

            "Act" means the Surface Mined Land Conservation and Reclamation Act [225 ILCS 715].

            "Authorized Representative of the Department" means an employee of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Mines and Minerals, qualified to conduct on-site inspections of blasting operations in order to determine compliance with these regulations.

            "Blast" means the detonation of explosives by an operator for a mineral extraction operation.

            "Licensed Blaster" means the person authorized to oversee and approve blasting operations on a blasting site.

            "Blasting Zone" means any area within the operation that is designated in writing by the operator to the Department as being the area within which blasting operations will be conducted.

            "Blasting Operations" means the process of shot design, layout, drilling, loading, detonation and recordkeeping.

            "Burden" means the distance from an explosives charge to the nearest free or open face at the time of detonation of each hole.

            "Continuing Violation" means a violation of these rules that is ongoing and unabated at the time of inspection.

            "Cube Root Scaled Distance" means the distance, in feet, from the blast to a specific location, divided by the cube root of the maximum weight of explosives, in pounds, to be detonated in any eight millisecond period.

            "Decibel"  means the unit of sound overpressure commonly used to measure airblast from the detonation of explosives.  It is also measured in pounds per square inch (p.s.i.), and  is defined in terms of the overpressure by the equation:

            db = 20 log P/P[0]

            where:

            dB = sound level in decibels

            P = measured overpressure in p.s.i. (lbs./in.(2))

            P[o] = 2.9 x 10-9 p.s.i. (lbs./in.(2))

            The decibel scale is logarithmic.

            "Department" means the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

            "Director" means the Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

            "Earth Liners" means structures constructed from naturally occurring soil material that has been compacted to achieve a low permeability.

            "Explosives" means any chemical mixture that reacts at high velocity to liberate gas and heat, causing very high pressures.

            "Geomembrane" means manufactured membrane liners and barriers of low permeability used to control the migration of fluids or gases.

            "Inert Waste" means any solid waste that will not decompose biologically, burn, serve as food for vectors, form a gas, cause an odor, or form a contaminated leachate, as determined in accordance with 35 Ill. Adm. Code 811.202(b).  Such inert wastes shall include only non-biodegradable and non-putrescible solid wastes.  Inert wastes may include, but are not limited to, bricks, masonry and concrete (cured for 60 days or more).

            "Landfill" means a facility permitted by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for the disposal of waste on land meeting the requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, P.L. 94-580, and regulations thereunder, and without creating nuisances or hazards to public health or safety, by confining the refuse to the smallest practical volume and covering it with a layer of earth at the conclusion of each day's operation, or by such other methods and intervals as the Illinois Pollution Control Board may provide by regulation.

            "Office of  Mines and Minerals" means the subdivision of the Department of Natural Resources charged with regulating  the use of explosives in non-coal mineral extraction operations pursuant to Section 6.5 of the Act.

            "Operation" means the property limits of any non-coal mineral extraction operation.

            "Operator" means any person, firm, partnership or corporation engaged in and controlling a surface mining operation, and includes political subdivisions and instrumentalities of the State of Illinois.

            "Particle Velocity" is a measure of ground vibration which describes the velocity at which a particle of ground moves  when excited by a seismic wave.

            "Person" means any individual, partnership, corporation or other legal business entity.

            "Protected Structure" means any dwelling, public building, school, church or commercial or institutional building. Protected structures do not include:

            Structures owned by the operator; and

            Structures subject to a waiver from the Department's airblast and ground vibration requirements granted to the operator.

            "Scaled Distance" means the distance, in feet, from the blast to a specified location, divided by the square root of the maximum weight of explosives, in pounds, to be detonated in any eight millisecond period.

            "Stemming" is inert material (usually crushed stone) that is placed above the explosives column, or vertically between columnar decks of explosives in a blast hole.

(Source:  Amended at 23 Ill. Reg. 11231, effective August 26, 1999)