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SOIL RECOVERY AND REPLACEMENT PLAN <br />General Background <br />Mining operations within the area encompassed by the current permit boundary were initiated as early <br />as 1901, therefore much of the presently affected azea was disrurbed prior to 1977 (Pre-Law) and soil <br />materials from the disturbed areas were not sampled, characterized, salvaged, or segregated. <br />Following promulgation of SMCRA in 1977, soil materials were recovered and stockpiled from any <br />new disturbance for subsequent reclamation. Recent disturbance areas (in chronological order) where <br />soil recovery has occurred include: <br />• Upper Hubbard Creek Facilities Area* <br />• Sanborn Creek Mine Surface Facilities Area <br />• Substation No. 3 and C-Gulch Ventilation Installation* <br />• Elk Creek Coal Handling Facilities and Stockpile Expansion Area <br />• West Valley Fill and Haul Road Areas <br />• Elk Creek Mine Surface Facilities Area <br />In addi[ion, minor disturbance and associated soil material recovery have occurred in conjunction <br />with limited coal exploration activities, fire control/suppression activities, and coalbed methane <br />drilling and degassification activities. For these minor disturbances and the satellite facilities identified <br />by asterisks above, recovered soil materials were windrowed or stockpIled separately at or neaz the <br />disturbance locations. The Upper Hubbazd Creek disturbance azea, as well as several of the minor <br />disturbance areas, has been reclaimed, with replacement of all available stockpiled soil materials. <br />A sepazate soil stockpIle was established and remains at the Substation No. 3 and C-Gulch Ventilation <br />Installation for furure reclamation. When soil recovery and stockpiling operations were initiated, two <br />areas were established for soIl storage for future reclamation, the East Yard Soil Stockpile and the Elk <br />Creek Soil Stockpile. In conjunction with mine facilities expansion activities in ]997-1998, the Elk <br />Creek Soil Stockpile was relocated to an area just north of the expanded coal stockpile azea and <br />material from the East Yazd Soil Stockpile was recovered and placed in the new stockpile. At <br />approximately the same rime that the soil stockpiles were moved and consolidated, the West Valley <br />Fill, West Valley Haul Road, Pond C, and Pond CLight-Use Road were developed. Soil materials <br />recovered from these disrurbance areas were added to the new Elk Creek Soil Stockpile. <br />In conjunction with development and construction of the Elk Creek Mine surface facilities, it became <br />necessary ro move the existing soil stockpile to accommodate a new sedimentation pond. Anew soIl <br />stockpile (North Elk Creek Soll Stockpile) was established at the north end of the Elk Creek Mine <br />Surface Facilities azea. The new soil stockpile was designed and sized to accommodate both the soil <br />moved from the existing soil stockpile and soil materials salvaged from the Elk Creek Mine Surface <br />Facilities Area. The location and configuration of the current soil stockpile is shown on the General <br />Facilities Map, (Map 2.05-M1). <br />Soil Availability_and Suitability <br />As described in Section 2.04.9, Soils Resource Information: <br />"Soils on the ridge-tops and steep valley sideslopes aze generally thin and poorly developed <br />with extensive exposures of resistant rock outcrop and stony loams dominant. Valley <br />deposits range from relatively coarse colluvial mass wasting and slope-wash deposits in the <br />upper valley reaches to thicker, moderately-sorted colluvial/alluvial deposits in the lower <br />valley reaches. Extensive portions of the lower slopes along the North Fork Valley have <br />been disturbed by historic mining activities, with surficial materials consisting of <br />undifferentiated mixed soils and mine waste." <br />PR-04TA111 1 Revised November 2001 <br />