Laserfiche WebLink
4.20.3 SURFACE OWNER PROTECTION <br />MCM will comply with all provisions of the subsidence control plan. In the unlikely event that subsidence causes material <br />damage to structures, or reduces the value or reasonably foreseeable beneficial use of surface lands, MCM will restore, <br />rehabilitate, or remove and replace damaged structures, and take appropriate steps to reestablish or provide reasonable <br />compensation for reduced or lost value or uses of lands. <br />4.20.4 BUFFER ZONES <br />Underground mining will be conducted so as not to cause material damage to any perennial stream. Underground mining <br />will also not be conducted beneath or adjacent to any impoundment having a storage volume of 20 acre -feet or more. <br />Underground mining will not be conducted beneath any aquifer that serves as a significant source of water supply to any <br />public water system. <br />Underground mining will not be conducted beneath or in close proximity to any public buildings or urbanized areas. <br />4.21 COAL EXPLORATION <br />As explained in Section 2.02, General Requirements for Coal Exploration, no coal exploration activities are currently <br />planned for areas outside the permit boundaries. Therefore, the requirements of this section are not applicable. <br />All baseline data collected and related activities were conducted under an approved exploration permit. Any future coal <br />exploration activities, which occur, will be conducted in accordance with applicable rules and regulations, and any <br />necessary permits will be obtained prior to initiating exploration activities. <br />4.22 CONCURRENT SURFACE AND UNDERGROUND MINING <br />As previously noted, MCM has no plans to conduct surface mining operations. Current plans call for the identified MCM <br />coal reserves to be recovered exclusively by underground mining methods. Therefore, concurrent surface and underground <br />mining operations will not occur on the Williams Fork Mine property, and the requirements of this section are not <br />applicable. <br />4.23 AUGER MINING <br />MCM has no current plans to supplement coal recovery through the use of auger mining methods. Evaluation of the <br />geologic characteristics of the existing MCM coal reserves indicates that they are generally not compatible with current <br />auger mining methods. Therefore, the requirements of this section are not applicable. <br />4.24 OPERATIONS IN ALLUVIAL VALLEY FLOORS <br />As previously discussed in Section 2.06.8, Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation on Areas or Adjacent to Areas Including <br />Alluvial Valley Floors, there are two areas of identified alluvial valley floor deposits within the MCM Permit boundaries: <br />• Yampa River Alluvial Valley Floor Area (Big Bottom) <br />• Williams Fork River Alluvial Valley Floor Area <br />Yampa River Alluvial Valley Floor Area (Bid; Bottom) <br />Development mains and sub -mains were previously driven under the Big Bottom area from the No. 9 Mine (refer to Section <br />2.05.3, Operation Plan - Permit Area, for mine plan details), however, sufficient pillars were left in place to provide long- <br />term support and prevent or minimize subsidence. The only surface facilities, which have or will result in surface <br />disturbance in the Big Bottom area, are several ground water monitoring wells. The surface disturbance associated with the <br />ground water monitoring wells is insignificant relative to the significant areal extent of the Big Bottom area. There are <br />known coal reserves under the Big Bottom area and future mining projections (refer to Map 24) show development of mains <br />TR14 -36 4.01 -13 Revised 06/23/14 <br />