introduction | protecting threatened species | safeguarding biodiversity | improving water quality | enhancing the landscape | managing the archaeological heritage | restoring land for recreation | reducing neighbourhood noise | blending into the landscape | informing the community | creating nature reserves | conserving geological heritage | reducing environmental impacts

Blending Into The Landscape

BACKGROUND

The area where Llimpet is located is characterised by relatively even topography with few elevations. The North and West of the site are surrounded by pinewood with dense undergrowth, while the East borders on rustic land. The office and facilities area lies to the South, as does an access road which is less than 100 m long and stems from a country road named Cami d'en Kane.

The site is small and barrel-shaped, its perimeter being semi-rectangular, and the extraction, treatment plant and storage areas are located below the zero line, which has been set where the access and office areas are.

Aggregates for construction are extracted at this site, either for direct use or to be mixed with other products (such as cement, water and additives) or transformed.

Limestone is extracted through the use of drills and explosives, while mechanical methods are occasionally employed. The extracted rock is subsequently treated in the site plant in order to obtain the end products.

The Llimpet site is divided into the four traditional areas within an extraction site:

1. Access roads and service area
2. Ancillary areas
3. Treatment plant and aggregate storage area
4. Extraction site, waste deposits and work tracks

Aricemex, S.A. implements a Quality Management System that conforms to the Standard UNE-EN-ISO-9001: 2000 (ER-1908/0/01), as well as a Risk Prevention at Work Management System. Furthermore, the company is preparing the environmental certification to conform to Standard UNE-EN-ISO 14001: 1996, which is expected to be accomplished by the end of 2004.

ACTION

For some time now, the company has invested a great deal of its efforts and resources into reducing the visual impact of the site, an initiative that was at one point reflected in the “Guide to Best Environmental Practice in the European Extractive Industry”, published by Spain's Department of Energy Policy and Mining.

RESULTS

One of the most striking features of the site is that neither extractive activities nor plant can be seen from the access areas, a fact that tends to surprise visitors.

Also, access areas to the site office and facilities have been turned into park-like gardens where an effort has been made to maintain the existing tree species, and where traditional elements such as the use of stone in construction have been added to achieve a better blend between the site and its environment.

A typical stone well has been built within the park area, in addition to stone walls for fencing the areas where some old restored industry pieces are exhibited in a museum-like fashion.

The perimeter of the site is defined almost in its entirety by a dry stone wall which is a typical example of local construction and which was intended to keep the site in tune with its environment. The wall is maintained by site personnel.

Dust control is achieved through the use of hoods and scrapers on all conveyor belts and through storing sand in chutes, whilst only aggregates whose fine content is well below 0,5% and which are therefore susceptible to cause dust, are stored in mounds.

introduction | protecting threatened species | safeguarding biodiversity | improving water quality | enhancing the landscape | managing the archaeological heritage | restoring land for recreation | reducing neighbourhood noise | blending into the landscape | informing the community | creating nature reserves | conserving geological heritage | reducing environmental impacts