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reclamation of the mine. The operation is in compliance with all requirements related to <br />explosives use. <br />VII. Disposal of Excess Spoil - Rule 4.09 <br />Disposal of excess spoil will not occur at the Bowie No. 1 Mine. <br />VIII. Coal Mine Waste Banks - Rule 4.10 <br />The Bowie No. 1 Mine has two coal waste disposal sites. The first disposal site, namedthe <br />old waste disposal area, is situated just northwest of Pond 2 and begun in September of <br />1978. Placement of coal waste continued until the disposal site reached full capacity. The <br />disposal site was reclaimed in August of 1983. In 1985, a spontaneous combustion event <br />took place at the old waste disposal area. Final resolution of the issue occurred when the <br />problem coal waste was excavated from the disposal site, allowed to cool, and placed at <br />the West Ridge waste disposal site. <br />The applicant, in response to Stipulation No. 16 of its original Permit No. C-038-81, <br />obtained approval for an underground development waste pile (West Ridge waste disposal <br />site) at the Bowie No. 1 Mine. Designs and text regarding the waste pile can be found in <br />the approved PAP, Volume IA, Section 2.05.3(9), and Volume 6A. <br />The plan consisted of three phases. Phase I consisted of a waste pile that had been <br />constructed on the "West Ridge" site, immediately adjoining the southwEstern toe of the <br />lowest existing fill bench at the Bowie No. 1 Mine surface facilities. This terraced pile <br />accommodated 130,000 cubic yards of waste. In January 1988, 64,417 tons of waste had <br />been disposed of at the West Ridge site. Approximately 25,000tonswere added to the pile <br />in 1987, due to development in the West Mine area. <br />Phase II consisted of an analogous, but smaller, waste pile to be constructed on the "East <br />Ridge" site, immediately east of the Phase I pile. Phase II, never initiated, would have <br />contained 60,500 cubic yards of waste and would have required approximately four (4) <br />years to construct. Phases I and II are separated by a natural ephemeral drainage channel. <br />Phase III of the proposed waste pile plan consisted of a plan to fill the drainage separating <br />East and West Ridges, as well as the placement of an additional 530,000 cubic yards of <br />material on top of the original Phase I and II waste piles. This had been projected to occur <br />over a life span of thirty-six (36) additional years. The total life of the three phases would <br />have been forty-eight (48) years and would have encompassed the disposal of 720,500 <br />cubic yards of processed waste. <br />The Division approved Phase I of the proposed waste structure. Phase I contained <br />sufficient waste disposal area to accommodate the mine's waste production. However, <br />Phases II & III of the proposed structure were never approved due to the shutdown of the <br />mine. There wire several specific aspects of the conceptual plans for Phases II and III <br />which would have required significant effort to resolve. T he applicant proposed a subdrain <br />to accommodate the surface flow of the ephemeral channel separating the East and West <br />29 <br />