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Operation Plan <br />Coal was mined, washed, stockpiled and then trucked from the mine site to market. Coal <br />mine waste was disposed of in a permitted refuse pile located at the mine site. The refuse <br />pile has been covered with a minimum of four feet of nontoxic, noncombustible material and <br />topsoil and has been reseeded. <br />Coal was mined by the room and pillar method, using continuous miners. Coal was <br />transported from the working sections of the mine to the surface by a belt conveyor, and then <br />dumped in a raw coal stockpile. Raw coal was sized, crushed and cleaned by gravity <br />separation in a preparation plant at the mine site. A belt press was then used to dry the coal <br />prior to transferring the coal to stockpiles where it was eventually trucked off site. <br />Reclamation Plan <br />Following cessation of mining operations at the Southfield Mine, the site was reclaimed in <br />accordance with the reclamation plan found in the permit document. All support facilities <br />were removed from the site or buried on site, in designated areas. The portals were sealed <br />and the area was then graded so as to return it to approximate original contour. Ponds 1, 2 <br />and 3 have been removed as part of the initial reclamation performed at the mine. Ponds 4 <br />and 5 and the associated ditches will be removed, upon demonstration of successful <br />revegetation, except the refuse pile ditches, which are to be retained as permanent features. <br />With the approval of Technical Revisions 15 and 32, designs have been submitted, reviewed <br />and approved to allow the Magpie Creek diversion to be permanent. The disturbed areas <br />have been covered with topsoil and seeded and mulched so as to establish a diverse self- <br />perpetuating stand of vegetation. <br />Refuse Disposal Area <br />Coal preparation resulted in coarse and fine coal refuse which was placed in a permanent <br />stockpile located on the mine site. Design capacity for the pile is approximately 3.8 million <br />cubic yards, with approximately 3.5 million cubic yards utilized at present. Geotechnical <br />stability analysis was conducted in 1981 by the original permittee, Dorchester Coal, Inc. The <br />report can be found in Exhibit 18 of the permit application. In addition, an analysis of soil <br />suitability for growth medium and revegetation success was conducted in 1988 (see Exhibit 9 <br />of the permit application). Two rock underdrains have been constructed beneath the refuse <br />pile to properly dewater the refuse pile and contribute to slope stability. <br />Both coarse and fine materials were disposed of in the refuse pile. Fine materials were <br />initially dewatered to facilitate their consolidation after final deposition and compaction. The <br />pile has been approved to be at the height of 75 feet while retaining a factor of safety greater <br />than 1.5, with surveys of the pile indicating a height of no greater than 70 feet. The <br />Southfield Mine began contemporaneous reclamation of the pile in 1983 when the eastern <br />side of the pile was topsoiled and revegetated. The refuse pile reclamation was completed <br />by covering the remaining pile area with four feet of noncombustible cover, then topsoil, <br />seeding and mulching. <br />Reclamation of the Loadout <br />