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Description of the Operations and Reclamation Plan <br />The Seneca II-W Mine is a surface mine operation. The mine is adip-slope, area strip mine <br />utilizing conventional dragline mining methods. The permit boundary of this application <br />encompasses two geographically separated areas: the mine area permit boundary and the tie-across <br />haul road permit boundary. The mine area permit boundary includes three separate areas (north, <br />south and south extension) and associated facilities. The north block consists of the C and D Pits <br />and the south block consists of the A and B Pits. Mine Pits A,B, C, and D are oriented <br />perpendicular to the cropline and the coal in the mine pit area dips approximately 18 to 25%. A <br />single dragline will operate alternately within the north and south areas. All four pits will mine <br />the Wadge coal seam, from the cropline to approximately 100 feet in depth. <br />Mining in the south extension area was proposed in PR-2. Development of this area will proceed <br />directly from the final cut in the A pit. Mine pits and progressive development will occur parallel <br />to the cropline. Mining will be constrained by the rapid increase in overburden depth as mining <br />progresses away from the cropline. The operation plan is addressed in detail in Volume 7, <br />Tab 12. <br />The 5 year permit term for the Seneca II-W permit is effective December 31, 2000, and allows <br />for mining operations to be conducted for recovery of the Wadge seam in the SE'/a Section 10, <br />SW'/a Section 14, E'/z Section 15, N'/z Section 22, Section 23, W'/z Section 26, W'/z Section 35 <br />and N'/z Section 34, TSN, R88W. There are currently no plans for recovery of the deeper Wolf <br />Creek seam in the permit area or the shallower Lennox seam. The permit application provides <br />detailed information on mining and reclamation operations, transportation routes, and hydrologic <br />controls for the mine. <br />Coal to be mined is owned by private interest, the State of Colorado and the Federal government. <br />The Federal coal is under lease to Seneca Coal Company. A small portion of coal to be mined in <br />the southern portion of the south pit is owned by the Hayden Public Library and leased to Seneca <br />Coal Company. Surface ownership includes federal lands managed by the BLM, a variety of <br />private leases, subleases and easements. The tie-across haul road which connects Routt County <br />Road 53 with the Hayden Power Plant, also includes some lands owned by the State of Colorado. <br />The total permitted area, including the tie-across haul road, is approximately 4,093 acres. The <br />maximum proposed disturbed area is 1622.0 acres. The disturbed azea includes the mine pit area, <br />surface support facilities, haul roads and drainage control facilities. The current life of mine <br />projection is that operations will continue in the south block through 2000 until the recovery line <br />is reached at which time mining will then progress into the southern extension area. Completion <br />of all mining is projected to be in 2003. Over the life of the mine, total production of 10,852,800 <br />tons of coal is projected. Annual production has and will range from approximately 376,700 tons <br />to 990,300 tons. <br />Seneca II-W Findings Document 9 June I5, 2001 <br />Permi[ Renewal No. 3 <br />