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RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS <br /> <br />South Taylor – Rule 4, Page 9 Revision Date: 7/21/25 <br /> Revision No.: MR-267 <br /> <br /> <br />After construction, the South Taylor fills will be monitored quarterly for the following items and reports will <br />be submitted quarterly. Monitoring will continue until such time that Division allows relinquish of quarterly <br />monitoring. <br /> <br />1. The groundwater piezometer well will be established in the West Taylor valley fill (please see Map <br />10B) and will be monitored quarterly for water level and the other parameters consistent with the <br />present Colowyo groundwater monitor plan. <br /> <br />2. On a quarterly basis, a certified report by a registered engineer will be completed taking into <br />consideration any changes and will note any evidence of surficial slope failure or the formation of <br />springs or seeps on the face of the fill. <br /> <br />4.10 – 4.12 DISPOSAL OF EXCESS SPOIL <br /> <br />These sections are addressed in Volume 1. <br /> <br />4.13 CONTEMPORANEOUS RECLAMATION <br /> <br />All reclamation efforts, including backfilling, grading, topsoil replacement and revegetation, of land disturbed <br />by the mining activities in the South Taylor pit shall occur as contemporaneously as practicable with mining <br />operations. Colowyo has formally requested a variance for a delay in contemporaneous reclamation in the <br />South Taylor mining area due to the unachievable requirements listed in Rule 4.14.1(1)(d), which the <br />Division has approved. <br /> <br />4.14 BACKFILLING AND GRADING <br /> <br />4.14.1 General Requirements <br /> <br />The mining operations of Colowyo will not employ the use of contour mining methods. <br /> <br />Colowyo does not have thin or thick overburden as defined in Subsection 4.14.4 or Subsection 4.14.5. <br /> <br />The mining plan, as described in Section 2.05.3, maximizes coal conservation and recovery while minimizing <br />adverse environmental impacts. Because of the multi-seam mining configuration planned by Colowyo, an <br />exemption from the 180 day or four spoil ridge limitations has been formally requested and granted by the <br />Division. The mining plan has been designed as a continuously-moving open pit operation with the mine <br />advancing approximately parallel to the dip of the numerous coal seams. The mining operation is an <br />extension of the existing Section 16 mine operation, and will progress in a southward direction with <br />shovels/trucks/ proceeding along the entire length of the mining area (Map 23). With the numerous benches <br />used in an open pit operation, the mine area will be opened for some time until the equipment comes back to <br />initiate another pass on a designated bench. <br /> <br />As the mining operations remove coal seams, the mining area must be left open until such time as the lower- <br />most coal seam can be recovered. With the mining configuration, the time differences between mining the <br />upper-most seam versus the lower-most seam will be greater than 180 days. As the operation advances, <br />backfilling will be as contemporaneous as practical but not so as to interfere with removal of the lower-most <br />coal seam. Colowyo will rough backfill and grade as shown on the Map 29. All disturbed areas will be <br />returned to the appropriate final contour by grading and backfilling with the use of a dragline, trucks, dozers, <br />and scrapers. Additional detail of the backfilling and grading for the mining operation is set forth in the <br />discussion under Sections 2.05.3 and 2.05.4. <br />