2024-05-21_PERMIT FILE - C1981010A (8)

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Irrespective of possible areal changes, regrading activities will establish approximately the contours shown on Map M12 even though the actual regraded areas may not coincide exactly with the areas shown on the map. The majority of areas at Trapper Mine that have been mined or will be mined are on the north slope of the Williams Fork Mountains. As demonstrated by the postmining topography map, mining and subsequent regrading operations will not affect the overall slope of the land. The final postmining graded slopes will not be uniform, but they will approximate the general nature of the premining topography. The final slopes will not be steeper than the premining slopes in any general area, and they will be graded to the most moderate and favorable gradients practicable to promote stability and effective revegetation. On occasion, in order to maximize coal recovery, or to manage geologic or geotechnical issues, overburden may be removed by other than draglines. The material will be placed on mined-out areas, at the ends of a cut on areas which have been stripped of topsoil or in areas designated as permanent fill locations, Once the mining operation necessary for coal removal is complete, this material will be handled in such a fashion that they blend into and complement the surrounding postmine topography. Regrading will continue to be performed predominantly by dozers or similar equipment with occasional assistance from the draglines, scrapers, or truck/loader operations. Regraded slopes will not be steeper than one vertical to three horizontal (1v:3h) except for a few small areas where the original slopes were steeper. Slopes up to 1v:2.25h may be necessary in these instances. From past experience, this type of regrading results in stable ground upon which further reclamation activities such as topsoil replacement and revegetation are readily accomplished. Moreover, the final regraded topography blends into the surrounding natural ground. An important aspect of regrading activities that complements spoil stabilization is the re-establishment of drainage patterns similar to those before mining with the predominant drainage characteristics reconstructed. Seventeen of the twenty drainageways anticipated to be disturbed and/or reconstructed in this permit term drain a watershed of less than one square mile above the uppermost sediment control pond in the drainage. All of the drainages impacted by mining in this permit term are ephemeral. The seventeen smaller watersheds are drained by West Pyeatt (256 acres), Middle Pyeatt (411 acres), Grouse (254 acres), Sage (109 acres), Oak (437 acres), Ute (81 acres), West Flume (209 acres), Middle Flume (512 acres), East Middle Flume (465 acres), East Flume (73 acres), Deal (176 acres), Deal 2 (29 acres), Deacon (398 acres), Jeffway 1 (86 acres), Jeffway 2 (73 acres), West Buzzard (555 acres) and East Buzzard (574 acres). The larger watersheds are No Name (1,379 acres), Johnson (1,359 acres), and East Pyeatt (1,157 acres). 3-42