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is at the junction of the Grand Valley and the Bookcliffs. The mine itself is <br />situated above the valley floor and no alluvial valley floors exist within the <br />permit area. <br />Description of the Reclamation Plans <br />The Fruita Mines ceased active coal extraction in 1980. The mine sat idle <br />until CMLRB issued a directive for American Shield Coal Company to commence <br />reclamation. All structures were dismantled and removed from the site. <br />Insufficient topsoil was salvaged from the mine area, partly due to the lack <br />of naturally occurring suitable topsoil material. The steep location of the <br />mine accounts for thin, poorly developed soils. Much of the site had been <br />disturbed pre-law when topsoil salvage was not required. <br />Portals of Fruita No. 2 Mine were backfilled in the fall of 1989. Backfilling <br />and grading of the site occurred between November 1990 and January 1991. <br />Analysis of the Fruita No. 1 bench indicated that return of the bench to <br />approximate original contour would result in decreased site stability. A <br />letter from the landowner, Dan Lynch, indicates his desire for the Fruita No. <br />1 bench and access road to remain after reclamation. The diversion ditch <br />above the Fruita No. 1 bench shall remain to ensure that the fill material on <br />and below the bench remains dry in order to maintain its stability. This <br />ditch will be maintained through the bond liability time period. <br />The Fruita No. 2 portal area was returned to approximate original contour. <br />Fruita No. 1 portal was backfilled and the bench graded with a gentle slope up <br />to the bench fill slope, which has been configured to a 2.OH:l.OV slope. <br />The coal stockpile was buried in a gully on the east side of the permit area, <br />covered with four feet of non-combustible cover, and topsoiled. The gully was <br />re-established above the fill. The small sediment pond on the east side of <br />the permit area was removed and sediment fence installed to assure that runoff <br />in this gully meets effluent limitations. The large sediment pond will remain <br />during the reclamation period. After Phase II bond release, the pona will be <br />reclaimed by removal of the spillway riser. The 30-inch culvert under the <br />access road will allow flow under the embankment. All disturbed areas were <br />seeded in the summer of 1991 by hydroseeding. <br />-4- <br />