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• PUBLIC NOTICE 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 tota14,093.0 acres currently within the permit boundary at the Seneca II-W Mine (CDMG PemJit No. C-82-057, approved Decrmber 31, 1985). A surety bond in the amount of $9,707,373 is currently in place of which $2,329,115 aze being requested Eor release. Pursuant to Rule 3.03.1, a permittee 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 I bond release is requested were backfilled and graded from the begintilng of mining, in 1990, through 2005 in accordance with the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (CDMG) rules and regulations. The approved reclamation plan can be reviewed in its entirety in the Seneca II-W Mine Permit Application Package located in the Hayden Public Library, Hayden, Colorado. All affected lands within Seneca II-W Mine fall within the permanent program category. For the purposes of this Phase I Bond Release request, the term "reclaimed" means those 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 landform in compliance with the approved conditions in the CDMG Permit No. C-82-057 The following is a brief stunmary 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 grading work was performed with dozers and scrapers. In some cases the major backfilling was done with scrapers and draglines. All areas affected by the surface mining operations, except as spedfically 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 contoui to also minimi>e erosion. Any time operations were conducted on steep 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 fmal topography configuration. Amore detailed discussion of the overall mining and reclamation can be found in the Seneca II-W Mine Peunit Application, specifically Tab 12, Operation Plaa and Tab 20, Backfilling and Grading. Included in the postmine regrading operation was the construction of small swales and hummocks to min;mi~e erosion and to conserve soil moisture and to promote revegetadon. Small stock tanks aze also utilized in the postmine grading operations to m;nimi~e erosion and to provide water for livestock and wildlife. The locations of these stock ponds are shown on Exhibit B in the Phase I Bond Release application. The designs and certified as-builts for the permanent stock ponds can be reviewed in the Seneca II-W Mine Permit Application Tab 13, Facilities. These postmine drainage channels all ultimately flow to sediment ponds to ensure that water quality leaving the permit azea is within regulatory spedfied limits. The locations of these ponds are also shown on Exhibit B in the Phase I Bond Release application. The designs and as-built documentation is contained in the Seneca II-W Mine Perrnit Application Tab 13, Facilities.