REV99503 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

'~~`~ ~C~ Seneca Coal Company S ~~ ,»~m June 2, 2006 Xcel Energy Director of Corporate Real Estate 550 15~h Street, Suite 1000 Denver, CO 80202 RE: Seneca II-W Mine Phase I Bond Release Application To Whom It May Concern: Seneca Coal Company, 36600 Routt County Road 27, P.O. Box 670, Hayden, Colorado 81639, is requesting release of Phase I bond liability on 761.2 reclaimed acres of its total 4,093.0 acres currently within the permit boundary at the Seneca II-W Mine (CDMG Permit No. CS2-057, gbproved Decxmber3l, 1985). A surety bond in the amount of $9,707,373 is currently in place of which $2,329,115 are being requested for release. Pursuant m Rule 3.03.1, a pemtittee may request Phase I Bond release upon successful completion of backfilling, regrading and drainage control in accordance with the approved reclamation plan. Those portions of the mine for which Phase T bond release is requested were backfilled and graded from the beginning of mining, in 1990, through 2005 in accordance with the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (CDMG) nrles and regulations. The approved reclamation plan can be reviewed in its entirety in the Seneca II-W Mine Peunit Application Package located in the Hayden Public Library, Hayden, Colorado. • All affected lands within Seneca II-W Mine fall within dre peananent program category. For the purposes of this Phase I Bond Release request, the renn "reclaimed" means dtose disturbed/mined areas where successful completion of backfilling, regrading and drainage control, in accordance with the approved reclamation plan, has been completed. The Phase I reclamation activities have produced a stable landfoun in compliance with the approved conditions in the CDMG Pemrit No. C-82-057 The following is a brief summary of the Phase I reclamation that has been completed. Backfilling and grading was conducted from 1990 through 2005 and was generally completed within 180 days following coal removal and was generally within two (2) spoil ridges behind the active pit. The majority of the gzading work was performed with dozers and scrapers. In some cases the major backfilling was done with scrapers and dnglines. All areas affected by the surface mining operations, except as specifically exempted by the CDMG, were regraded on a timely basis to a stable configuration that conforms with the approved postmining land use (livestock grazing and wildlife habitat). For the most part, grading was done along contour to also minimize erosion. Any time operations were conducted on sheep slopes that could present safety concerns to the operators, grading was done in a direction other than parallel to contour. Exhibit C in the Phase I Bond Release application provides representative cross-sections showing final topography configuration. Amore detailed discussion of the overall mining and reclamation can be found in the Seneca II-W Mine Pemvt Application, specifically Tab 12, Operation Plan and Tab Z0, Backfilling and Grading. Included in the postmine regrading operation was the constnrction of small swales and hummocks to minimize erosion and to conserve soil moisture and to promote revegetation. Small stock tanks are also utilized in the postmine grading operations to minimize erosion and to provide water Eor livestock and wildlife. The locations of these stock ponds aze shown on Exhibit B in the Phase I Bond Release application. The designs and certified as-bunts Eor the perrnanent stock ponds can be reviewed in the Seneca II-W Mine Pemrit Application Tab 13, Facilities. • Seneca Coal Company . P.O. Box 670 • Hayden, Colorado 81639 Telephone (970) 276-3707 • FAX {970) 276-3014