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provide an indication of any large areas where there may be significant departure <br />from the approved replacement thickness. <br />Please provide a comprehensive table presenting the soil replacement depth sample <br />results obtained to date at Seneca II-W, keyed to a reclamation map with parcels <br />delineated and identified by year seeded or topsoiled. Please ensure that future sail <br />depth verification data ere presented in the same format. <br />12. Page 32 of Permit Tab 21 contains a commitment to complete an annual topsoil <br />balance report to be submitted each year within the Annual Reclamation Report. For <br />the original permit area, the required mean replacement depth is 1.3 feet (15.6 <br />inches). For the South Extension of the permit area, the permit specifies multiple <br />zones of differing mean replacement thickness (1 foot, 1.7 feet, 2.5 feet, and 4 <br />feetl• The over-all mean replacement thickness specified for the South Extension <br />area is 1.7 feet (20.4 inches). <br />The 2004 Annual Reclamation Report contains the required, survey-based topsoil <br />balance evaluation. Table 04.1 documents a total volume of 698.1 acre feet of <br />topsoil in stockpile at the end of 2004. The narrative section of the report on page <br />2 and 3 indicates that the mine area disturbance (at the end of 2004) that will <br />ultimately need to be topsoiled is 473 acres. This balance of disturbed acreage to <br />be topsoiled and volume of soil in stockpile translates to an average replacement <br />thickness of 1 .48 feet (17.8 inches). <br />The report assessment concludes that the current topsoil balance documents an <br />adequate volume of sail in stockpile to reclaim the mine. However, the Division <br />notes that at the end of 2004, topsoiling had been completed within the original <br />permit area, with the exception of certain facility area locations. With these <br />exceptions, all of the acreage to be topsoiled as of the end of 2004, is within the <br />South Extension Area. So it would appear that the stockpile volume would result in <br />a mean replacement thickness a couple inches short of the 1.7 foot thickness <br />projected for the South Extension Area. <br />a) Please update the narrative assessment in the topsoil balance section of the <br />report to clearly reflect consideration of the currently approved replacement depths <br />for the South Extension, as well as the original permit area. Projected mean <br />replacement thickness for the South Extension area may have been adjusted in PR-5 <br />amendments, to reflect the most recent stockpile survey; please verify that this is <br />the case. <br />13, Permit Tab 22 contains commitments to report annual weed control activities, as <br />well as annual qualitative monitoring assessments to identify new infestations and <br />assess status of previously treated areas. The 2004 Annual Reclamation Report <br />contains a description of control activities, target species, herbicides used and rates <br />applied, as well as herbicide application daily logs, and the 2004 Weed Control Map, <br />The Weed Control Map documents that 2004 control activity was largely restricted <br />to road corridors and long term facility areas. A comprehensive weed <br />inventory/mapping project to assess the status of previous treatments was <br />attempted in 2004, but was not completed due to problems with the contractor. <br />This project is to be completed in 2005, and repeated in subsequent years. The <br />operator has retained a different contractor to perform the annual assessments. <br />A severe infestation of black henbane was documented in the spring of 2005 in the <br />"D" Pit area, and control efforts were promptly initiated; monitoring and follow-up <br />