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The landowner has requested retention of the office/facilities building, facilities pad area, associated light <br />and power poles, fuel tanks, mobile equipment, one spoil well (SP-1), and the access road to the facilities <br />area (DRMS received two letters from the landowner September 6, 2007 and September 22, 2008). The <br />permanent facilities and ponds have been left as approved in the permit. The mine access road remains in <br />good condition. The permanent sediment ponds are functioning as designed and are not in need of <br />maintenance. The warehouse/office building and associated structures remain in good condition. The <br />permanent features and reclaimed ponds at the mine area account for 64.2 acres. <br />Phase II Bond Release for the Loadout <br />The operator is requesting Phase II Bond Release for the Loadout. The area subject to the request for <br />release is 6.9 acres. The total estimated cost for reclamation of the Loadout was $14,120.00. SU, <br />approved February 1, 2002, released $8,472.00 (60%) for achieving Phase I reclamation success on the <br />loadout. The reclamation for this area (backfilling, regrading, and seeding) was completed in 1999. The <br />criteria that need to be met for a Phase II Bond Release are topsoil replacement, vegetative cover, and <br />sediment control. The Loadout was disturbed in 1974 prior to requirements to salvage topsoil. As such, <br />limited topsoil had been salvaged for replacement at the Loadout. The operator reclaimed the Loadout <br />with two feet of suitable cover over the regraded Loadout, and distributed what available topsoil had been <br />salvaged at the Loadout (permit p.780-63a) (approximately two inches thickness). Topsoil was brought <br />from the mine site and spread at the Loadout area to an approximate six inch thickness (1999 Annual <br />Reclamation Report). <br />Establishment of Vegetation - To evaluate establishment of vegetation for Phase II Bond Release, the <br />Division requires a statistically adequate sample of vegetative cover collected during a single year from <br />each reclaimed area and each reference area. Vegetation establishment is considered acceptable if the <br />cover of the revegetated area is at least 90% of the reference area or other approved standard with a 90% <br />statistical confidence. Vegetative cover was measured on the Loadout and the corresponding reference <br />areas in 2005. The mean vegetative cover measured on the Loadout in 2005 was 33.27%. Ninety percent <br />of the acreage-weighted mean for 2005 reference area sampling was 31.7% cover. The vegetation data <br />collected in 2005 met sample adequacy on both the reclaimed Loadout area and on the reference area. <br />The vegetative cover established on the reclaimed Loadout meets the criterion for Phase II Bond Release. <br />Hydrologic Reclamation (Sedimentation) - The drainage and sedimentation control at the regraded <br />Loadout consists of ditches, berms and a sediment pond. There is an irrigation ditch along the northeast <br />side of the Loadout, to keep runoff from the undisturbed areas off of the reclaimed area. There is a second <br />ditch along the southwest side of the Loadout to route runoff from the reclaimed area and any potential <br />runoff from undisturbed areas to the sediment pond. This ditch also keeps runoff from the undisturbed <br />areas off of the reclaimed area. There is a permanent berm (or series of berms) around the entire site that <br />helps keep runoff from the undisturbed areas from reaching the reclaimed area. The final drainage and <br />sediment control feature is the sediment pond. All runoff from the reclaimed area is routed through <br />ditches into this pond. The October 23, 2007 inspection confirmed the existence of all of these drainage <br />and sediment control features and confirmed that they were functioning properly. The berm(s) around the <br />reclaimed area appears functional in directing undisturbed runoff away from the disturbed area and <br />keeping disturbed area runoff contained. It appears that the Loadout has been graded so that all of the <br />disturbed runoff will report to the sediment pond. There were no erosion problems noted at the reclaimed <br />Loadout. The drainage and sediment controls at the Loadout meet the requirements of Rule 3.03.1(2)(b) <br />Marr Mine SL4