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support of the post -mining land use and which meets the approved success standard for cover. <br />For Phase III, the operator must successfully complete all surface coal mining and reclamation <br />operations in accordance with the approved permit. When a valid mining permit remains in <br />place, the operator may not receive Phase III bond release prior to the expiration of a ten-year <br />revegetation responsibility period. <br />Prior to and upon conclusion of this evaluation I reviewed documents available through the <br />online permitting database maintained by DRMS including the SL -12 bond release application, <br />public notice affidavit of publication, and a map of the subject parcels. According to the SL -12 <br />application, vegetation sampling was conducted in 2013 and 2014 by Cedar Creek Associates, <br />Inc. using the transect method for cover and woody -stem sampling and the quadrat method for <br />herbaceous production sampling. The Colowyo Coal Mine utilizes vegetation reference areas as <br />the benchmark for revegetative success. For SL -12, applicable reference areas included <br />Mountain Shrub and Sagebrush. Cedar Creek's analysis indicates standards for cover, <br />production, diversity, and woody -species density counts were all exceeded in their 2013 and <br />2014 samplings in the reclaimed Section 16 Pit. A hydrologic assessment in support of Phase III <br />release, conducted by AECOM, was also included in the SL -12 application. Based on their <br />findings regarding flow rates in Good Spring Creek; the occurrence and quality of groundwater; <br />post -mining erosion rates; TSS concentrations; TDS concentrations; pH data; groundwater and <br />surface concentrations of major ions, iron, and nitrate; TDS concentrations in the Yampa River; <br />and cumulative impacts to groundwater resources, AECOM concluded the Colowyo Coal Mine <br />has met the applicable hydrologic criteria for Phase III release. <br />Findings and observations <br />The Team evaluated the following reclaimed parcels for Phase II and Phase III release, as <br />indicated: <br />• 16002, 6.2 ac. (IUIII) <br />• 16003, 25.9 ac. (III) <br />• 16005, 3.9 ac. (IUIII) <br />• 16006, 50.5 ac. (III) <br />• 16008, 41.2 ac. (III) <br />• 16009, 1.3 ac. (IUIII) <br />• 16010, 10.0 ac. (III) <br />• 16011, 6.2 ac. (IUIII) <br />• 16012, 2.0 ac. (IUIII) <br />• 16013, 3.2 ac. (IUIII) <br />• 16014, 7.4 ac. (III) <br />• 16015, 2.0 ac. (IUIII) <br />• 16016, 22.7 ac. (IUIII) <br />Overall, the Team agreed the 230.0 total acres evaluated for Phase II and Phase III bond release <br />had been reclaimed with a high degree of success. The reclaimed topography was characterized <br />by gently sloped, rolling hills, similar to the surrounding undisturbed landscape. No slumping, <br />erosion, or hydrologic cutting was noted. <br />While topsoil placement occurs as part of Phase I reclamation, DRMS conducts topsoil depth <br />2 1 P a g e <br />