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-3- approved post-mining configuration, regardless of the time involved. Further, the applicant is required to provide appropriate financial surety to insure the accomplishment of the approved reclamation plan. Obviously, adequate monitoring will be necessary in order to demonstrate compliance with the amended reclamation plan. A rough approximation completed by myself, determined that at this point in time, approximately 5,000,000 cubic yard of grading would need to be completed in order to achieve the projected "final" post-mining topographic configuration within the North Pit landslide mass. The applicant should provide adequate surety to allow the State to accomplish this regrading, if necessary. Homestake Mining Company proposes a surety which appears to represent a significantly smaller regrading effort. References within the consultant's report repeatedly mention topographical monitoring being accomplished throughout earlier activities at the Pitch Project. The operator should prepare and submit a formal monitoring program, including locations and description of monitoring facilities, frequency and methodology of monitoring activities, and criteria for determining when final topographic configuration has actually been achieved (success criteria). Only when the landslide body has been demonstrated to be stabilized, which might involve a period of observation considerably longer than normal, could the operator's responsibility be deemed terminated. The operator's consultants observed that consolidation settlement may be a significant concern in establishing final grading and drainage of the various overburden dumps at the Pitch Project. The identical consideration applies to the landslide mass and associated fill placed within the North Pit during development of the South Pit. Particular concern should be focused upon the proposed "flow attenuation areas". Consolidation settlement could compromise the drainage function by distorting these precisely graded 0.5X flow attenuation surfaces. Oistortion of these surfaces could result in excessive erosion and detrimentally increase infiltration of surface precipitation. Overburden Oump Reclamation The proposed amendment to the reclamation plan for the Pitch Project includes significant regrading of numerous overburden waste dumps. Briefly summarized, Homestake Mining Company proposes to reduce all dump faces from the angle of repose to a final slope no greater than 2:1 (horizontal to vertical). The "10310" dump in Indian Creek Valley will be reduced to a 3:1 (horizontal to vertical) final facial slope above a rock toe drain and rock toe buttress. In addition, terrace benches will be constructed on the faces of many of the dumps to reduce erosion and improve surficial stability. The applicant's consultants have completed slope stability analyses of the overburden material dumps, which project the proposed configurations' static and pseudo-static safety factors to range between 1.3 and 1.5. These analyses reflect the prudent state-of-the-art of slope design and stability analysis. N The consultants do observe, however, that consolidation settlement