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The Division evaluated Colowyo's request for the partial Phase III Bond Release on 3.7 acres in the <br /> SL-15 application, as shown on Figure 2 of this document. The process of releasing the reclamation <br /> bond for a coal mine site in Colorado is explained in Rule 3.03 and further described in the <br /> Division's 1995 Guideline Regarding Selected Coal Mining Bond Release Issues. The bond release <br /> process involves three phases. At Phase III, Rule 3.03.1(2) (c) states, "The remaining portion of the <br /> bond amount shall be released when the permittee has successfully completed all surface coal <br /> mining reclamation operations in accordance with the approved reclamation plan, and the final <br /> inspection and procedures of 3.03.2 have been satisfied. This shall not be before the expiration of <br /> the period specified for revegetation responsibility in 3.02.3." <br /> Evaluation and inspection of the reclaimed areas was based on the specific requirements of the <br /> reclamation plan and the functional requirements of the post-mining land use. Criteria for bond <br /> release included the following. <br /> 1. The reclamation supports the approved post-mining land use (Rule 4.16.1); <br /> 2. All areas requested for Phase III bond release meet the requirements for Phase I and Phase II <br /> bond release or have previously received Phase I and Phase II bond release approval. <br /> For permanent post-mining channels, there are vegetation re-establishment requirements and this <br /> was not evaluated for the Gulch A Ditch being requested for partial Phase III Bond Release as <br /> part of the SL-15 application. <br /> All adjacent areas that drain into the Gulch A Ditch has received Phase III Bond Release except <br /> for 2.9 acres within the East Pit. The remaining 2.9 acres are treated through a small area <br /> exemption as approved in Volume 2C, Item 18 in the Colowyo PAP. <br /> IV. OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS <br /> The following discussion of observations and findings focuses on the results of backfilling and <br /> grading work and drainage reestablishment in the West Pit and East Pit partial Phase I Bond <br /> Release, and Gulch A Ditch for partial Phase I, II, and III Bond Release in the SL-15 application. <br /> The evaluation of the bond release application included the bond release inspection, an office <br /> review of the permit requirements and regulatory criteria, and review of past inspection reports. <br /> The bond release inspection was conducted on June 12, 2019. Several items were reviewed by the <br /> Division during the technical evaluation of the bond release application before, during, and after <br /> the inspection, including: the post-mining topography and cross-sections of backflled and graded <br /> areas. <br /> During the SL-15 Bond Release inspection, participants walked the bond release request area to <br /> allow for visual assessment of compliance with pertinent requirements. <br /> For SL-15, observations were made during the bond release inspection with regard to <br /> Proposed Decision and Findings of Compliance August 6,2019 <br /> Partial Phase I,II and III Bond Release SL-15 Page 7 <br />