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When possible, topsoil is live hauled to active reclamation areas. However, this is not <br />always possible and some topsoil will be stockpiled. Stockpiled topsoil will be protected <br />from wind and water erosion by roughening and ditching around the pile, establishing an <br />annual cover crop, or establishing a perennial grass cover, depending on the length of time a <br />stockpile will be in place. <br />Mining at New Horizon Mine 2 will follow the pattern shown in Map 2.05.3-1 of the permit <br />application. No overburden removal or coal mining will take place at the New Horizon <br />Mine 1 area; however, reclamation will continue to be carried out at New Horizon 1. <br />Mining activities began in early 1993. Excavation is performed by dozers, ttvcks and <br />shovel. Some excavation may be carried out by scrapers and dozers. The anticipated mining <br />schedule for each area where mining will occur is graphically shown on Map 2.05.3-1. <br />Overburden is removed by a shovel and trucks and/or scrapers after an area has been drilled <br />and shot. <br />The primary coal seam to be recovered is the Lower Dakota. seam; however, the Upper <br />Dakota seam will be recovered if it is thick enough and of sufficient quality. Maximum <br />overburden depth will approach 90 feet. Excavations will develop pits having a generally <br />north-south orientation which progress westward. <br />Mining began along the eastern subcrop of the New Horizon Mine 2 area and uses a panel <br />mining method to develop the pits (see Map 2.05.3-1). The panels will vary in length and <br />width according to conditions, but will average approximately 500 feet long and 120 feet <br />wide. Mining will generally progress east to west with the long axis of the pits generally <br />north to south. The overburden is excavated using dozers and a shovel and trucks and then <br />placed or pushed into an adjacent or nearby mined-out pit panels, with the exception of the <br />initial cut, which was placed adjacent to the pit onto land designated as a temporary <br />overburden stockpile (see Map 2.05.3-1). <br />During overburden removal operations, some selective handling of material will be <br />performed based on chemical and physical core data contained in Section 2.04.6, Geology <br />Description, and discussions presented in Section 2.05.4(2)(d), Topsoil (Redistribution) of the <br />permit application. <br />Following recovery of the lower Dakota coal seam, the pit will be backfilled to approximate <br />original contour. Overburden testing will be done to ensure that acid or toxic forming <br />overburden is not placed within four feet of the surface and areas retreated as necessary. <br />Topsoil will then be replaced in approximate thicknesses of 1.0 feet on dryland pastures and <br />1.5 feet on irrigated pastures, dependent upon the actual amount of topsoil recovered. The <br />areas will then be seeded and irrigated for pasture establishment. <br />Operations on Prime Farmland <br />Operations on the prime farmhutds identified in the southeast portion of the New Horizon <br />Mine 2 permit area will be substantially the same as on other areas except for soil handling <br />procedures. Soil on prime farmland has been removed in a two-lift operation. <br />11 <br />