Exploitation and Environmental Reclamation of a limestone deposit

Client: Limestone quarry owner
Location: Roccarainola – Campania (Italy)
Date: 2005

The project aimed at the design of an open pit quarry (extension of three existing adjacent quarries) for the exploitation of a limestone deposit for crushed stones production, and the further reclamation of the site.

 Project Goals

• Optimization of deposit’s exploitation;
• Morphological reshaping and reconnection of the three existing quarries;
• Environmental reclamation of the hill slope interested by limestone extraction.

Innovative aspects

• Creation of a steeper hill slope reclaimed with trees over gabion baskets
• Crushed material transportation through shafts and galleries
• Unified design of the three quarries for effective slope reshaping

Reclamation solution

Current profile (green line) Excavation profile (red line) Transportation system (black line)

Activities performed

1. Regulatory and cartographic framework analysis;
2. Assessment of alternative exploitation and reclamation solutions;
3. Tasks scheduling and resource management;
4. Economic and financial investment analysis;
5. Environmental impact Assessment.

Technical data

Area of intervention: 360.000 m²
Cultivation method: Benches
Digging technique: Drill & Blast

Spil removal technique: Dozer
Transportation technique: Gravitational through inclined shafts and drifts/galleries
Reclamation plan: Reforestation

Technical outcomes

Total volume of limestone extracted: 34.300.000 m³ (51.500.000 m³ materiale sciolto)
Average production: 2.300.000 m³/year

Duration: 23 years

Economical and financial outcomes

Investiments: 5.000.000 €
Revenues: 430.000.000 €

Environmental Impact Assessment

The area interested by the exploitation project falls within a part of Partenio’s Natural Park classified as zone C (industrial activities permitted under certain prescriptions). Three alternative solutions have been compared using AEVIA method for EIA:

1. Ongoing projects (one for each quarry) completion;
2. Jointed project with slope reshaped within zone C;
3. Jointed project with slope reshaped within zone C and B (industrial activities allowed under restricted conditions).

3D photorealistic rendering – Hill slope before the intervention

3D photorealistic rendering – Hill slope after the intervention