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<br />facilities, trash and miscellaneous equipment have been removed from the mine site. The mine access <br />road has been retained as permanent at the request of the landowner (by letter dated January 24, <br />1994). The portals have been bacl~'illed with at least 25 feet of inert fill material and all slopes have <br />been graded as required by the approved plan. The Lewis Gulch fill material which provided the <br />foundation for a sediment pond and storage area has been removed. The west Lewis Gulch side slopes <br />and channel bottom are blended with the upstream and downstream channel sections as required by <br />Rule 4.05.4(4). The west Lewis Gulch slope exhibits a gradient of 1H:1 V, and the east slope exhibits <br />a gradient of about 2'fzH:1V. The bacld-ill at the old Golden Quality No. 5 tipple area, located <br />adjacent to the access road and above the former location of the Lewis Gulch fill, exhibits a gradient <br />of about 4H:1V, and the main portal bench exhibits bacl~"illed slopes of about 3'fzH:1V to about <br />4H:1V. The upper highwall remains exposed, and specific fmdings regarding the highwall are made <br />below. <br />The Division hereby fmds that the remaining highwall located at the Twin Pines No. 2 Mine site is <br />in compliance with Rule 4.14.1(2). Details substantiating this fmding can be found within the <br />Technical Revision No. 7 file. Details regazding Twin Pines Investment, Limited Partnership's <br />responsibility and plans for partial reclamation of the highwall are reiterated with this decision, as well <br />as a brief discussion of the history of mining-related disturbance at the mine site, follows: <br />In accordance with Rule 4.14.1(2)(8), the highwall located at the Twin Pines No. 2 <br />Mine site has been partially reclaimed; however, a portion of the historic highwall <br />remains exposed. The mine site constitutes a "re-mining" operation. The current Twin <br />Pines No. 2 Mine site is located at the site of the former Golden Quality No. 5 Mine <br />and the Last Chance No. 2 Mine. The Golden Quality No. 5 Mine was active from <br />1968 to 1971, and the Last Chance No. 2 Mine was active from 1968 to 1971. <br />Following closure of the Golden Quality No. 5 Mine and the Last Chance No. 2 Mine, <br />the coal at and between the mine entrances was mined by surface strip mining methods. <br />This last phase of strip mining ended on January 24, 1975. The combination of <br />operations conducted by the Golden Quality No. 5 Mine, the Last Chance No. 2 Mine, <br />and the subsequent strip mining during the early 1970's created the entire highwall <br />disturbance as it stands today. All mining activity associated with the original creation <br />of the highwall ceased during January of 1975 (thus prior to August 3, 1977). <br />The current Twin Pines No. 2 Mine was permitted in 1983, and the 1983 permit <br />application provides specific documentation regarding the pre-law condition of the mine <br />site. Pre-1983 photos of the site aze available at the Division. These photos have been <br />studied to verify the pre-law and pre-1983 permit ground configuration of the Twin <br />Pines No. 2 site. The highwall was not enlazged by implementation of the Twin Pines <br />No. 2 permit. In fact, Twin Pines Investment, Limited Partnership, bacid"illed a lazge <br />portion of the highwall using onsite spoil when the current mine was developed. <br />A small remnant of a lower highwall also exists above the access road, and where the <br />old Golden Quality No. 5 tipple was previously situated. Most of this highwall has <br />been eliminated by baclcfilling. This highwall was also in place and abandoned prior <br />to August 3, 1977. <br />In accordance with Rule 4.14.1(2)(g)(i), all reasonably available spoil material located <br />within the permit boundary approved and enforced since 1983 has been used to reclaim <br />4 <br />