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RESPONSE <br />• Each exploration hole, borehole, well, shaft, or other exposed underground opening will be cased, sealed, <br />plugged, or otherwise managed to meet the requirements of this Section. Based on previous and existing <br />surface mining activities within the area, no acid or other toxic drainage has been encountered. As <br />demonstrated in this Section, TCC plans to minimize or elimmnate disturbance to the prevailing hydrologic <br />balance by the sealing of drillholes and other underground openings. Likewise, the safety of people, <br />livestock, fish and wildlife, and machinery in the pemut and adjacent areas will be assured, to the extent <br />possible, by the temporary or pemranent sealing activities proposed by TCC. <br />Each exploration hole, borehole, well, or other underground opening that is uncovered or exposed during <br />mining operations, that is not approved for water monitoring, will be permanently sealed as set forth in <br />Rule 4.07.3 for non-federal lease coal and as set forth in 43 CFR 3484.1(a)(3) for all of the above activities <br />conducted on coal under Federal lease. <br />Any mine entry which is temporarily inactive, but is reasonably anticipate to be utilized for future <br />operations, will be protected by barricades or other covering devices, fenced, and posted with signs to <br />prevent access and to identify any associated hazards. Access controls will be periodically inspected and <br />maintained in good operating condition by TCC. The Fish Creek Ventilation Borehole will be temporarily <br />sealed by tack welding a metal plate over the casing. The borehole will not be accessible without the use of <br />specialized equipment. <br />When no longer needed for mining operations, the mine portals will be sealed, and the portal area of the <br />Foidel Creek Mine will be backfilled. The portal seals are patterned after the explosion-proof seals <br />common to underground coal mines. The double-row block wall will be keyed into the roof, floor and ribs <br />prior to backfilling, and will be coated with awater-proof sealant. The seal will be placed in competent <br />• ground well inby the highwall. Figure 15, Typical Portal Seals, shows the method anticipated to be used on <br />r'1 nal rec amation. A cast-in-place equivalent of this seal may be used as an alternative. Backfilling will <br />generally prevent normal access to the portal areas by people, machinery, livestock, and fish and wildlife. <br />Because the portal azea will be completely backfilled, no mine drainage will enter surface waters of the <br />Foidel Creek drainage. CYCC did not experience any acid- or toxic-drainage in the historic surface mining <br />operations, so none is expected to be encountered following underground mining. <br />The abandonment procedures for the portal aeeas aze described in the response to Rules 2.05.4. No mine <br />shafts are anticipated in the first five yeaz sequence. <br />Final reclamation of the 36-inch diameter Fish Creek Ventilation Borehole will involve placing a plug at <br />the bottom of the cased hole, cementing the cased hole from the plug to within three feet of the surface, <br />backfilling the top three feet of the hole with topsoil, and seeding the site. Alternatively, the cased hole <br />maybe selectively cemented by placing a cement plug 20 feet above and below the water-bearing units (i.e. <br />Wadge Overburden, Twentymile Sandstone). The remainder of the cased hole would be filled with a gout. <br />As above, the top three feet of the casing would be cut off and the hole backfilled with soil. The access <br />road will be graded to blend in with the surrounding topography and the culvert will be removed. The <br />entire area will be topsoiled and seeded with the appropriate seed mixture. <br />TCC proposed continuation of a surface drillin rogram which will consist of drilling four additional <br />vertical boreholes with a rotary rig. The drill oles ill be approximately 1,100 feet in depth and 5 5/8 <br />inches in diameter. Expected depth will be approximately 15 feet below the Wadge coal seam. Circulation <br />media will be air, foam, and bentonite mud. Mud pits will be used in a closed system that will prevent <br />discharge of drilling fluid from the drill site. Excess mud will be left in pits and backfilled over. <br /> <br />MR07-215 2.05-119 05/10/07 <br />