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mining methods, The Eagle No. 6 mine also proposes to use conventional mining <br />techniques for development mining and longwall methods within production <br />panels. The application requests the right to employ room and pillar mining " <br />techniques to supplement production. <br />The projected maximum annual tonnage for the Eagle No. 5 mine is 2,5 million <br />tons in year 7 of the current life-of-mine plan, while the projected maximum <br />annual tonnage for the Eagle No. 6 mine is 4.0 million tons during the <br />life-of-mine plan. The maximum combined annual tonnage for the two mines is <br />also 4,0 million tons. <br />The surface disturbance includes three existing portal areas; the No. 5 <br />portals, the No. 5A portals, and the No. 9 portals. The No. 9 portal area is <br />currently being reclaimed. <br />Access to the No. 6 Mine will be from within the existing areas of the No. 5 <br />Mine, within the 5A portals. This access will result in no new surface <br />disturbance. <br />Associated facilities include: mine dewatering ponds, sediment control ponds, <br />haul roads, conveyors, breakers, silo, load-out, sampler, scale, and mine <br />buildings. Coal is conveyed from the No. 5 mine to the silo, where it is <br />loaded onto a unit train. Waste rock is conveyed from the portal and hauled <br />to a coal processing waste pile. Empire Energy Corporation maintains a <br />load-out in Craig, Colorado as an auxiliary coal loading facility to the <br />silo/load-out facility. The Craig load-out is used in case of an emergency, a <br />breakdown of the silo, or where coals need to be separated because of <br />quality. The load out has not been used since 1983, but could be reactivated. <br />Mine water and surface runoff are handled through existing structures. Eagle <br />No. 5 mine water and the p~posed Ha. 6 Mine water is collected in a mine sump <br />and pumped to the surface, where it passes through a three-pond system before <br />it is discharged into the Williams Fork River. Disturbed area drainage is <br />controlled by ponds, except for a limited area where small area exemptions <br />have been approved. <br />The applicant plans to reclaim the Williams Fork Strip Pit No. 2 during 1987. <br />These plans are included in Exhibit 24 of the permit application. <br />Upon cessation of mining activities, all surface disturbed lands will be <br />reclaimed. Surface facilities will be removed and surface disturbance areas <br />will be regraded. All areas will be graded to approximate original contour. <br />Topsoil from existing stockpiles will be redistributed over most~of the <br />surface area, Certain areas were disturbed prior to the existing reclamation <br />laws and no topsoil is available. However, surface disturbances will be <br />seeded. Reclamation success will be determined by comparing the reclaimed <br />areas to a set of revegetation success standards. <br />-11- <br />