Laserfiche WebLink
II. APPROVAL CRITERIA FOR BOND RELEASE <br /> Under Colorado's Permanent Program, the process of releasing the reclamation bond for a mine site is <br /> explained in Rule 3.03 and further described in the Division's 1995 Guideline Regarding Selected Coal <br /> Mining Bond Release Issues. For Phase I bond release, Rule 3.03.1(2)(a)states: <br /> "Up to sixty percent of the applicable bond amount shall be released when the permittee successfully <br /> completes backfilling, regrading, and drainage control in accordance with the approved <br /> reclamation plan." <br /> Evaluation and inspection of the reclaimed areas was based on the specific requirements of the reclamation <br /> plan and the functional requirements of the post-mining land use. Criteria for bond release included the <br /> following based on the 1995 guidelines noted above: <br /> 1. Hillslope and drainage channel gradients and general design compliance; <br /> 2. Performance of the reconstructed topography; <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 use; <br /> 5. Blending of regraded land to undisturbed areas; <br /> 6. The functioning of drainages with regard to knickpoints, blending at disturbance boundaries and <br /> channel erosion; <br /> 7. Erosional features; and <br /> 8. Drainage control for the reclaimed area, including upslope diversions. <br /> The approved reclamation plan for the Keenesburg Mine calls for backfilling and grading mine excavations <br /> and shaping the backfilled areas to the approximate configurations shown on Appendix Q-1, Reclamation <br /> Contour and Drainage Plan Map, within the Permit Application Package (PAP) for the Keenesburg Strip <br /> Mine. <br /> III. OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS <br /> Compliance with Approved Post-m i n i n g Topography <br /> The Division determined that the SL-11 areas have been backfilled and graded in accordance with the <br /> approved post-mining topography. This was accomplished with the following: <br /> 1. The Division compared the map and cross-sections in the application to the approved grading <br /> plan on Appendix Q-1 in the PAP. <br /> 2. The Division inspected the on-the-ground conditions to determine if the topography of the site <br /> matches the application and plan. <br /> The contours on Figure 1 in the SL-11 application,Bond Release Final Areas Grading, closely match the <br /> contours on Appendix Q-1, which is included below. Also, figures in the application show that the <br /> approved topography closely matches the surveyed topography for relevant cross sections. <br /> Page 5 <br />