REV06564

• Permit No: C1980005
• IBM Index Class Name: Revision
• Doc Date: 3/23/2007
• Doc Name: Proposed Decision & Findings of Compliance RN5
• From: DRMS
• To: Seneca Coal Company
• Type & Sequence: RN5
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

balance, as required by Rule 2.05.6(3) have been made. The proposed operation has
been Found to prevent material damage to the hydrologic balance outside the permit
area.
IV. Topsoil
Information regazding topsoil may be found in Volume 7, Tab 9 of the original permit
application package.
Information in the original findings document for Seneca II Mine (August 10, 1981)
identified two concerns; heavy clay concentration in certain soil types and, limited soil
salvaging in steep slope areas. To mitigate the heavy clay concentration, Seneca Coal
Company proposed stripping topsoil in single lifts to mix different soil orders and to dilute
the heavy clay concentration. This salvaged topsoil is either taken directly to regraded spoils
or to a topsoil stockpile. Seneca Coal Company proposes to continue this practice except,
when feasible, topsoil will be salvaged in two lifts and redistributed directly on regraded
areas. This practice promotes the natural regeneration of existing species.
Steep slopes (40-60%) are encountered within the Seneca II Mine permit area. A stipulation
requiring approval of a vaziance from topsoil salvaging on those areas was placed on the
original permit approval. A request for vaziance from topsoil salvaging of some steep slope
areas as identified on Exhibit 9-3, was submitted as part of the Wolf Creek Permit Revision.
This variance request for the Wolf Creek Permit Revision Area was approved by the
Division on September 25, 1984.
Seneca Coal Company was originally (1981) approved to return approximately 1.4 feet
(15-18 inches) of highly suitable topsoil to regraded areas. As addressed in the Wolf Creek
Permit Revision and approved by the Division, the depth of topsoil replacement was reduced
to approximately 12.2 inches. To verify compliance of this topsoil replacement depth,
Seneca Coal Company committed to a final topsoil balance survey for the duration of
mining. To verify compliance, Seneca Coal Company has expanded the quality control
program as addressed on pages 9-40 and 9-41 of the revised permit document with a
commitment to annual topsoil balance surveys.
As part of the 1994 Midterm Review, Seneca incorporated a current topsoil balance into the
permit. All of the existing topsoil piles were resurveyed in the spring of 1996.
Approximately 379.7 acre-feet of soil was stockpiled at the Seneca II Mine as of May I5,
1996. The disturbance area requiring soil replacement totaled 607.4 acres. It was estimated
that 0.5 feet of suitable soil was available to be replaced on the disturbed azea. The soil
replacement thickness for the remaining permit term was approved to be 12.2 inches.
Because SCC failed to provide additional information regarding the suitability of 0.5 feet of
topsoil replacement, the Division required SCC to submit a topsoil mitigation plan.
A stipulation (No. 34) was placed on the permit to require SCC to provide a mitigation plan
in the form of a technical revision addressing the topsoil deficit at the Seneca II Mine.
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