Mining and quarrying may be approved as a special use (See § 155-16.40) in the A-1, I-1 and I-2 districts, subject to all of the following regulations.
(A) All open pits and shafts must be located at least 200 feet from any public road and at least 50 feet from any side and rear property line.
(B) All buildings or structures must be located at least 200 feet from any property line.
(C) The entire operation must be surrounded by a fence or wall at least six feet in height or by a six-foot tall earthen berm and six-foot tall chain-link fence either in front or behind the berm.
(D) A land reclamation plan must be provided with the special use application.
(E) No blasting or other use of explosives is permitted unless specifically requested and expressly authorized by the approved special use permit. If permitted as part of the approved special use permit, all blasting must conform to the following standards:
(1) The use, handling and detonation of explosives (sometimes referred to as "blasting") in connection with the quarrying operations must be under the direct supervision of persons having the requisite experience and knowledge to safely conduct such operations. If the persons are hereafter required to be licensed by any federal agency or by the State of Illinois or Will County, the persons must meet the licensing requirements and obtain the required license.
(2) The storage of explosives must occur in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations and must be stored in magazines, buildings, or structures that meet the safety requirements of applicable laws and regulations.
(3) Blasting procedures must be in accordance with modern techniques, generally accepted in the quarrying industry, whereby a shot consists of a series of drill holes containing quantities of explosives fired or detonated in sequences of multiple delays at intervals of milliseconds, so as to counteract and reduce the ground motion or earthborn vibration from each successive detonation (sometimes referred to as "short-period delay blasting"). Blasting procedures must be designed, on the basis of maximum charge per delay (that is, quantity of explosives in pounds per detonation) and distances in feet, so that the maximum ground vibration intensity do not exceed 0.5 inches per second of ground particle velocity resulting from any shot or blast measured by any one of the three mutually perpendicular planes of ground motion as recorded at the nearest existing building.
(4) Blasting procedures are subject to and must comply with applicable lawful requirements of the Illinois Pollution Control Board, Illinois Department of Mines and Minerals, Mine Enforcement and Safety Administration (MESA) of the United States Department of the Interior, and any other governmental agency with jurisdiction over the procedures.
(5) Blasting procedures must be in conformity with approved safety regulations, customs, and practices generally accepted in the quarrying industry, and the safety regulations of governmental agencies with jurisdiction over the procedures.
(6) Compliance with the provisions of these regulations governing blasting procedures and quarrying operations is subject to review and inspection from time-to-time by authorized county officials, upon reasonable prior notice and during reasonable business hours.
(7) The actual detonation of any blast is restricted to the local time period between 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday of each week. No blasting may occur on Sunday or on the following legal holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
(Ord. effective 10-1-2012)