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• ~ ~~ ,~ Excess Spo_1 and Backfillir,g and Grading Energ~• Fuels will stockpile overburden material not needed. for restoring the land to approxiate original contour in two excess spoils piles. These spoils piles will be located adjacent to the principal Wining locations in Eckman Park and will be vegetated to support grazing. Ko special handling of the spoil is required because no acid- or toxic-forming materials are present. Rough backfilling and grading will begin 180 days after coal recovery. Aster coal is recovered from the pit floor, overburden stripping will resume and this spoils material will be cast into the cut (backfilled) where coal and overburden have already been removed. The comaany will backfill and grade this material with dozers and scrapers to the approximate original contour. (Postmining topography wi L exceed original elevations slightly.) Following this, the compan}• will replace topsoil and re vegetate. Energy Fuels has reeuested OS"; approval for three exceptions to normal bacl:filling and grading operations. The first exception would increase coal recovery at the northeastern end of the 8050 pit by enabling the ope:atior. to move closer to a minor drainage channel, but it would place the open box cut at the northwestern end out of reach for backfilling until 1982 or 1983 (not considered a significant problem). The second exception would alloy Energ}• Fuels to leave a portion of the 7400 pit open for approximately 1 year, until mining resumes in that area in October 1980. This would prevent additional _ environmental damage caused b}• backfilling the 7400 pit and then opening another box cut in 6 months. The third exception would alloy Energy Fuels to leave a portion of the highwall open to perxit underground mining at some later date to maximize recovery of the coal resources. OSM is reouiring Energy Fuels to submit a plan to meet the requirements of 30 CFR 78.1£ for joint surface and underground mining b}• December 31, 1980, or the conpany nest backfill and grade the highwall area by Januar}• 31, 1961, to meet the reeuirements of 30 CFR 816.100 for contemporaneous reclamation. Energy Fuels' plan for constructing two excess spoil piles is an acceptable alternative to redistributing this material because, if it were redisiribu_e~, the approximate original contours of stream channels would be er.ceedec, and over steepening and subsequent erosion and sedimentation would result. Most c` the environmental impacts of the two excess spoils piles will be short tern and of a minor nature through 1982. At this time, construction of the piles will be completed and revegetation will begin. Because permanent diversions will be constructed to divert existing stream channels around the excess spoils piles, there wall be a minor long-term impact resulting from lengthening the channels and decreasing the gradient. This would result is some siltation of the diversions. The impacts from backfilling and grading should also be short term In the interim, the principal impact will be exposure to erosional forces that should be controlled by drainage structures and a sedimentation pond. _ ~~ -