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I. PROCEDURES AND SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW PROCESS <br />Trapper Mining, Inc. (TMI) applied for partial Phase I bond release under the Colorado Surface Coal <br />Mining Reclamation Act following reclamation of a portion of the Trapper Mine. The mine is located <br />in Moffat County, approximately 6.5 miles south of Craig, Colorado. The mine area is located in <br />portions of Section 5 and b of TSN, R90W, portions of Sections 1, 4 and S and all of Sections 2 and 3 of <br />TSN, R91 W, portions of Sections 30 and 32 and all of Section 31 of T6N,1290W. Included in the mine <br />azea aze portions of Sections 21, 25, 26, 27, 29, and 32 and all of Sections 33, 34, 35 and 36 of T6N, <br />R91 W. <br />The Division approved reclamation liability release for the Craig Generation Plant Loadout in December <br />1985. That approval was for release of reclamation liability only. No money was returned. <br />Bond release application SL-Ol was submitted September 9, 1996, and requested partial Phase I bond <br />release on 2511.7 acres, and partial Phase II bond release on 1570.5 acres. The Division approved the <br />partial Phase I on February 12, 1998 for backfill and grading of 2511.7 acres of the bond release pazcel. <br />The partial Phase II portion of the bond release application was reviewed separately from the Phase I <br />request. The Division approved the Phase II bond release on 1570.5 acres, on December 21, 1999. The <br />two approvals released reclamation liability only. No money was returned to the operator. <br />Bond release application SL-02 was submitted October 6, 1999. Bond release SL-02 requested partial <br />Phase II bond release on 319.5 acres of rangeland seeded in 1984, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996 in the <br />Ashmore, Derringer and Hawken pits. SL-02 was approved December 23, 1999. The approval released <br />reclamation liability only. No money was returned to the operator. <br />TMI submitted an application for a partial Phase II bond release, SL-03, that was received by the <br />Division on October 1, 2001. The approved post-mining land use was cropland. During the review <br />process a neighboring landowner, Mr. Francis Lux, voiced concern regazding dimunition of flow from a <br />natural spring, the Lippazd No. 2 Spring, located downslope from the Phase II application area. The <br />Division required Trapper Mining Inc. (TMI) to demonstrate that the Lippazd No. 2 was not impacted by <br />mining activities. TMI provided geologic cross-sections and detail regazding the hydrologic statigraphy. <br />Upon review of TMI's information, the Division determined that the diminution of flow of the Lippazd <br />Spring No. 2 is not a result of mining impacts. Two aquicludes in the stratigraphic sequence act as <br />hydraulic bamers between the pits and the Lippard Spring No. 2. Precipitation for 2001 was somewhat <br />lower than average, which may have lowered the potentiometric surface of the 1 n White Sandstone <br />aquifer. A drop in only a few feet of the 1'~ White Sandstone aquifer potentiometric surface might have <br />resulted in the surface expression of the spring to dry up. On April 19, 2002, the Division approved <br />Phase II reclamation liability release on 592.7 acres of reclaimed land in the Ashmore, Browning, and <br />Colt pits. <br />Trapper Mining Inc. submitted an application (SL-04) for a partial Phase III bond release on April 17, <br />2003. The application requested final bond release on 408.5 of cropland and 1452.7 acres of <br />Trapper Mine, SL-OS Findings 3 6/11!2004 <br />