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was conducted in accordance with Rule 3.03.2(2). Inspection attendees included: Zach Trujillo of <br /> the Division; Tom Medlin of OSM; Tony Tennyson of Tri-State and Tom Fry of Colowyo. No <br /> representatives from the BLM, State or local agencies, or adjacent land owners attended the <br /> inspection. A summary of the bond release inspection are presented in Section IV, below. Detailed <br /> observations of the inspection are documented in the inspection report that was issued September <br /> 10, 2019. See Figures 1 and 2 of this document for the location of the SL-16 partial Phase I,II and <br /> III Bond Release areas. <br /> III. CRITERIA FOR BOND RELEASE <br /> Phase I Bond Release <br /> The Division evaluated Colowyo's request for partial Phase I Bond Release on 3.3 acres in the East <br /> Pit as well as the Gulch A Pond and East Side Collection Ditch in the SL-16 application, as shown <br /> on Figures 1 and 2 of this document. The process of releasing the reclamation bond for a coal mine <br /> site in Colorado is explained in Rule 3.03 and further described in the Division's 1995 Guideline <br /> Regarding Selected Coal Mining Bond Release Issues. The bond release process involves three <br /> phases. At Phase I, Rule 3.03.1(2) (a) states, "Up to sixty percent of the applicable bond amount <br /> shall be released when the permittee successfully completes backfilling,regrading, and drainage <br /> control in accordance with the approved reclamation plan." <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. Hillslope and drainage channel gradients and general design compliance; <br /> 2. Performance of the reconstructed topography. Symptoms of failure or instabilities such as <br /> slumping or exposed highwalls were examined; <br /> 3. Hillslope design/function with regard to erosion; <br /> 4. Swales and depressions with regard to numbers of features and effect on post-mining land <br /> use; <br /> 5. Blending of regraded land to undisturbed areas; <br /> 6. The functioning of drainages with regard to knickpoints, blending at disturbance boundaries <br /> and channel erosion; <br /> 7. Erosional features; and <br /> 8. Drainage control for the reclaimed area, including upslope diversions. <br /> Colowyo's approved reclamation plan was prepared in accordance with Rule 2.05.4. Colowyo was <br /> granted a variance for contemporaneous reclamation for the East Pit, West Pit and the South <br /> Taylor Pit due to the nature of multi-seam mining. Backfilling and rough grading commenced <br /> once a steady-state condition was reached in each of the pits. <br /> Proposed Decision and Findings of Compliance October 22,2019 <br /> Partial Phase I,II and III Bond Release SL-16 Page 5 <br />