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EVALUATION OF RECLAMATION SUCCESS FOR <br />PHASE III BOND RELEASE <br />The requirements for Phase III bond release are aten-year minimum liability period since initial <br />seeding, documentation of revegetation success criteria, proof of post mining land use capability, <br />and analysis of effects to surface and groundwater quantity and quality (CDMG; Guidelines <br />Regarding Selected Coal Mine Bond Release Issues, 1995). No alluvial valley floors or prime <br />farmlands were present on the site prior to mining so these criterion do not apply to CCM#I. <br />Achievement of each requisite was documented by completion of the ten-year liability period since <br />initial seeding; surveying the established vegetation for cover, production, and species diversity <br />standards; conducting a grazing program to prove sustainable use of rangeland; and analysis of <br />water quality and quantity data collected from the site over a 14 year period. Each condition and <br />its supporting documentation are discussed.in the following sections. <br />MANAGEMENT <br />Post mining management of the reclaimed areas at CCM#1 have involved revegetation activities <br />and short-term grazing trials. Revegetation activities involved interseeding of warm-season <br />grasses on the reclaimed areas by drilling the approved seed mixture. During 1999, the ten year <br />liability period since initial seeding was met. Five years have elapsed since the supplemental <br />seeding program was enacted and completed in 1993, fulfilling the required time criteria since last <br />seeding. Kaiser implemented a controlled grazing program (MR-06) during the spring of 1995 <br />and 1996 in an attempt to decrease the abundance of cool-season grasses and allow warm-season <br />grasses a chance to propagate. During each year, 30 cow/calf pairs were placed on the reclaimed <br />area for the period of May 20 to July 15, 1995 and April 15 to May 15, 1996. This program has <br />proven successful in expanding the cover of warm-season grasses. Unfortunately, cattle have <br />illegally accessed the property and grazed on occasion, resulting in patches where soil compaction <br />is higher and vegetative cover is lower than the average conditions existing on the majority of the <br />reclaimed area. <br />POST-MINING LAND USE <br />The reclaimed areas were designated in the mining permit exclusively as rangeland, a classification <br />consistent with the historical land use. The seed mixture applied to the reclaimed area featured <br />species which are high in livestock palatability and which enhance the ability of the reclaimed area <br />to sustain aself-perpetuating vegetative community. Grazing tests conducted during 1995 and <br />1996 confirm this conclusion. Figure A-1 displays the location and date of seeding in the <br />reclaimed mine area. <br />REVEGETATION SUCCESS <br />Vegetation on the reclaimed and reference areas was randomly sampled on June 18 through 20, <br />1998, and July 22 through 23, 1999. Vegetative cover, species composition, and herbaceous <br />biomass production were evaluated. Evaluation of the data collected during the June 1998 <br />sampling event revealed a deficiency in the cover represented by warm-season grasses. The <br />MiN.05]\USl 1996\S<p~embcr ~,. ~~ 4 <br />