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Once again in 2013, the rental scraper fleet arrived onsite and began the final <br />material movement on the West Pit Fill. As the backfill and regrade efforts <br />began to wind down, Colowyo split the fleet and began placing topsoil on the <br />areas that were regraded to the approved PMT while continuing the final <br />backfill. Once topsoil was placed to the proper depth, surface roughing and <br />seeding commenced just behind the topsoil laydown efforts. In October of 2013, <br />the final approved PMT was achieved over the West Pit Fill reclamation area, and <br />the scraper fleet proceeded to finish topsoiling the entire area shortly thereafter. <br />Surface roughing and seeding of the entire project area continued until the <br />entire area was seeded, and a multi -year large scale effort was completed in <br />November of 2013 when the final seeds were planted. <br />ON -SITE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROJECT <br />The commitment and effort Colowyo exhibited on this large scale reclamation <br />project, while continuing to meet contract coal shipments, indicates the <br />effectiveness of this reclamation project. The entire project from 2011 through <br />2013 consisted of backfilling and regrading approximately 4.6 million cubic yards <br />of overburden, laying down roughly 154,000 cubic yards of topsoil, and finalizing <br />161.7 acres of reclamation. Thus far these coordinated efforts created 56.2 <br />acres that have been Phase I released, and it is anticipated that in 2014 the <br />remaining 105.5 acres will be Phase I released. <br />TRANSFERABILITY OF PROJECT TO OTHER MINING OPERATIONS <br />In 2009, Colowyo implemented a variable topsoil replacement program and <br />identification of areas for specific seed mixes and post- mining land uses within <br />each reclaimed area. This topsoil replacement program was designed to mimic <br />the natural depths of topsoil found in a typical drainage, thus providing more <br />suitable and specialized environments for woody plant species reestablishment. <br />Rather than a uniform depth of topsoil over an entire reclaim location, as is the <br />most common practice, Colowyo created locations with extremely shallow <br />topsoil (ridge tops and topographically flat locations), designed to reduce grass <br />stand establishment and their resulting competition with shrubs for water and <br />soil nutrients. Colowyo also designs additional sites (steep slopes and bottoms <br />of drainages) with extremely deep topsoil depths. These sites will ideally benefit <br />woody species like aspen and chokecherry. This non - uniform redistribution of <br />topsoil encourages plant diversity and ultimately produces microclimates such as <br />