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• PERMANENT RECLAMATION OF <br />SHOP AREA ADJACENT TO GRASSY CREEK <br />Historical Background. Prior to mining at Seneca II, and more specifically, <br />before operations were established at the office/shop complex, the Grassy <br />Creek area was used for rangeland grazing by livestock. Subsequent studies <br />by Seneca Coals, .Ltd. have identified portions of Grassy Creek as having <br />characteristics of alluvial valley floors (AVF). CMLRB subsequently identi- <br />fled Grassy Creek as an AVF. <br />The present office/shop complex adjacent to Grassy Creek was constructed <br />during the late 1960's and early 1970's. A worker's change house was sub- <br />sequently added in 1979. In selecting a site for the complex that was suit- <br />able for support operations, a site was selected that was near the entrance <br />of the mine, adjacent to the main access roads, an relatively level ground <br />and out of any drainage areas. The present site met all of the above criteria <br />• and required only minor work to initially prepare the site for support facility <br />construction. <br />Investigations were made of: I) chronological photographs dating to 1966, <br />2) USGS topographic maps, 3) contour maps developed by Seneca Coals, Ltd. <br />before operations began, and 4) discussions with Seneca Coals, Ltd. personnel <br />who had been involved with operations before active facilities construction. <br />All of the above indicated the shop area was a small, fairly level knob above <br />the actual Grassy Creek channel. Cansistant with this conclusion are vege- <br />tation communities adjacent to the office/shop area which are more closely <br />representative of uplands rather than alluvial channels. <br />Permanence of Facilities in Lieu of Reclamation. An important part of any <br />farming or livestock operation is adequate facilities. These operations <br />usually incur large rnpital investments, numerous pieces of machinery and <br />the need for maintenance, storage, and shelter facilities. The facilities at <br />the Seneco II Mine can provide an excellent opportunity for acquisition of <br />• improved facilities by a local agricultural operator. If any bona fide re- <br />quests for acquisition of The facilities following cessation of operations <br />occur, Seneca Coals, Ltd. proposes to honor these requests. The CMLRB will <br />13-2-3 NOV 2 3 1981 <br />