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To the south of Foidei Creek, operations at Mine 1 and Eckman Park have <br />extracted coal from the Wadge seam along a dip slope which extends from the <br />headwaters of Foidel Creek for several miles to the northeast. Mining began <br />along the northeast end of the dip slope in the vicinity of the Mine 1 permit <br />area in the early 1960's, and mining operations have progressed from northeast <br />to southwest, with Eckman Park located to the southwest of Mine 1. <br />Mining and reclamation is ongoing in two pit areas at Eckman Park (the Area 51 <br />Pit and the Area 61 Pit). Mining, backfilling, topsoiling and reseeding has <br />been completed at Mine 1 and the major part of Eckman Park, and is being <br />accomplished in contemporaneous fashion in Area 51 and Area 61. A single <br />dragline removes overburden from both active pit areas, and the applicant <br />projects a production rate of 1.2 million tons/year for the remainder of the <br />Life-of-Mine in Eckman Park. <br />Area 61 pits are oriented along the dip of the coal seam such that mining <br />progresses from northeast to southwest, while area 51 pits are oriented <br />parallel to the strike of the coal seam such that mining progresses up the dip <br />slope from northwest to southeast. During initial operations in Eckman Park, <br />boxcut spoils were placed in two approved excess overburden disposal areas <br />along the toe of the dip slope adjacent to Foidel Creek. Construction of both <br />overburden piles has now been completed, and overburden from each successive <br />dragline cut is spoiled into the preceding cut. Dragline spoil ridges are <br />dozed and graded to create slope configurations approximating the original <br />contours. Grading is followed by topsoil distribution and stabilization, <br />seeding and planting. <br />The post-mining topography permit revision would alter certain currently <br />approved post-mining channel gradients and require riprap stabilization of <br />channel segments within mining Areas 31, 51, and 51 East. Extensive drainage <br />reconstruction and riprap channel protection would be required in lower <br />Area 41. The revision would also allow the retention of a final cut swale <br />feature which runs parallel to the ridge crest for approximately a mile in <br />upper Area 9/10. <br />Existing facilities along the base of the dip slope on either side of Foidel <br />Creek include a shop and warehouse complex covering approximately 28 acres; <br />the Tipple No. 2 facility which covers approximately 15 acres and includes a <br />raw coal stockpile, stoker coal facility, truck dump, primary and secondary <br />crushers, a sampling building, covered conveyors, and crushed coal stockpile; <br />the 16,000 sq. ft. main office complex; a 3 acre explosives bunker; and a i4 <br />acre equipment construction, servicing and storage area. Numerous <br />sedimentation ponds remain in place to control runoff from disturbed areas of <br />Eckman Park, Mine 1 and Mine 2. Pond A, a sedimentation reservoir which is <br />located on the South Fork tributary of Foidel Creek controls disturbed runoff <br />from the major portion of Eckman Park. <br />Final reclamation will entail removal of all buildings and structures with the <br />exception of sediment ponds approved for use as stock ponds. Haul roads will <br />be eliminated or reduced in size to be appropriate as ranch roads. Other <br />facility areas will be graded, ripped, topsoiled and seeded. <br />-9- <br />