2016-01-21_PERMIT FILE - C1981041 (8)

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Six inches of topsoil was salvaged from undisturbed portions of the RSRDA borrow area. It is estimated about one-half of the borrow area has been previously disturbed by light use roads, the upper diversion ditch and a prior borrow project, therefore it will be assumed that an average of three inches of topsoil was recovered from the entire area. The topsoil was stockpiled in a small area below the borrow area. Reclamation of the borrow area involved grading the borrow area to blend into the surrounding contours and redistribution of the topsoil. The south diversion ditch was graded to approximate original contours. A local agricultural business, Providence Place, Inc., purchased the Roadside South Portal upon approval of a land use change application, PR -3, by the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety. The approved land use allows for the retention of the shop and warehouse on the upper level, which will be utilized for equipment and supply storage and as their maintenance area. The cafeteria, lab buildings, guard shack and septic tank system will be used as a seasonal fruit stand and packing/cooling shed. The top of the Roadside South Refuse Disposal Area and the open ground on the lower level was left open to allow for additional equipment and supply storage, parking and access. The property had been leased to Providence Place, Inc., since 2005 and the use of the buildings and land as described above has been ongoing since that time. Grading of the portal area after sealing the portals began with installation of the french drain shown on Exhibit 6C. The french drain system has three branches. Two of the branches intercept minor seepage from the portal seals. The third branch is designed to intercept water from the hillside southwest of the conveyor entry. This third leg extends above the level of the portal entries to intercept seepage along the existing hillside. This seepage originates from an irrigation pond located above and to the southwest of the portal. The next reclamation step involved grading concrete and cinderblock remaining from demolition of the shop -office complex into the portals and highwall. Sufficient amounts of dirt were mixed with this material to eliminate voids and promote stability of the fill. Dirt for backfill of the portal highwall was from excess material at the unit train loadout. Topsoil was not salvaged from this area, therefore the best available material from the cut areas were used for the final cover. An estimated 3 - 4 soil samples taken while moving dirt in this area should identify the best available material. A highwall is the face of exposed overburden and coal for entry into an underground mine. The south portal had two potential highwalls. One was an old ventilation entry along the old portal access road and the other was the intake and beltline entries which were located on the portal bench. The highwalls were eliminated by backfilling the area where the coal seam was exposed. Other near vertical rock faces were excavated to provide room for the warehouse shop and offices. These near vertical rock faces are not considered highwalls so they will not be eliminated. TR -68 14-7 (Rev. 12/15)