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Revised August 25, 1995 <br />impacts. Because of the multi-seam mining configuration planned by <br />Colowyo, an exemption from the 180 day or four spoil ridge <br />• limitation remains necessary. The mining plan has been designed as <br />a continuously moving open pit operation with the mine advancing <br />approximately parallel to the dip of the numerous coal seams. The <br />initial box cut for the operation was made on the south side of <br />Streeter Draw. The mining operation is designed to progress in a <br />southward direction with shovels/trucks proceeding along the entire <br />length of the mining area uncovering the upper coal seams and the <br />draglines uncovering the lower coal seams as shown on the Mining <br />Range Diagram (Map 24). With the numerous benches used in an open <br />pit operation, the mine area will be opened for some time until the <br />equipment comes back to initiate another pass on a designated <br />bench. <br />As the mining operations remove coal seams (in the southward <br />progression), the mining area must be left open until such time as <br />the lower-most coal seam can be recovered. With the mining <br />configuration, the time differences between mining the upper-most <br />seam versus the lower-most seam will obviously be greater than 180 <br />days. As the operation advances, backfilling will be as <br />contemporaneous as practical but not so as to interfere with <br />removal of the lower-most coal seam. <br />Colowyo will rough backfill and grade as shown on the Spoil Grading <br />Map (Map 29). <br />• All disturbed areas will be returned to the approximate original <br />contour by grading and backfilling with the use of a dragline, <br />trucks, dozers and scrapers. Additional detail of the backfilling <br />and grading for the mining operation is set forth in the discussion <br />under Sections 2.05.3 and 2.05.4. <br />The area to be mined will be restored to a topography approximating <br />premining grades. The outslopes of the completed fill in Streeter <br />Draw and areas backfilled, as necessary, will utilize terraces <br />and/or contour furrows for erosion control and stability. These <br />terraces and contour furrows will be constructed according to the <br />requirements outlined in Section 2.06.2. <br />Where applicable, Colowyo will retain all overburden and spoil on <br />the solid portion of existing benches. The final graded slopes <br />will not exceed the approximate original premining slope grade as <br />shown on the Postmining Topography Map (Map 19). Postmining <br />surface drainage channels will be located to minimize erosion and <br />to minimize slippage. <br />The final pit highwalls will be eliminated in Section 16 by the <br />combination of mining to near X seam outcrop in shortened pits and <br />backfilling X seam overburden materials to achieve the final <br />topography. <br />The final Section 9 highwall will be eliminated by rehandling the <br />. X seam overburden located above the final reclamation topography <br />grade at the north end of the Section 16 Pit. The rehandling of <br />Revised August 25,1 995 <br />the X seam overburden will be handled concurrently with the advance <br />of the multiple seam advance during the 2011-2013 period. Also, as <br />4.14-3 ~ ~ ~ <br />