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Photo 1: Grasses and Shrubs against the native vegetation. <br />To demonstrate that runoff from the reclaimed parcels results in equivalent or lesser sediment <br />contributions as compared to baseline conditions at the mine, the Division utilized the Revised <br />Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) sediment loss evaluation. The RUSLE provides a basis for <br />predicting the gross erosion per acre from an area on an annual basis. <br />Phase III Bond Release <br />Rule 3.03.1(2)(c) states that the final portion of performance bond: <br />"shall be released when the permittee has successfully completed all surface coal mining <br />reclamation operations in accordance with the approved reclamation plan, and the final <br />inspection 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 />Rule 3.03.1(4) states: <br />"No bond shall be fully released until all reclamation requirements of these Rules and the Act <br />are fully met...". The same rule goes on to state that: "No acreage shall be released from the <br />permit area until all surface coal mining and reclamation operations on that acreage have <br />been completed in accordance with the approved reclamation plan." <br />SPL provided documentation in the application of the species planted for the Phase III Bond <br />Release Areas of the North and South Pits. Species planted were in accordance with the approved <br />seed mixes. All lands requested in the Phase III portion of bond release application (SL7) have been <br />approved for Phase I and II bond release as per Table 3. Final reclamation was evaluated for <br />vegetative cover, herbaceous productivity, species diversity and woody plant density on lands <br />designated as Bond Release Block Number 2 (BRB2), with respect to the Phase III bond release <br />vegetation sampling areas. During the Division's review and the SL7 surety release inspection, the <br />reclaimed landscape was evaluated for evidence of erosional features, also considered was SPL's <br />Permit Number C-1994-082 Page 9 of 23 <br />