2009-07-11_REVISION - C1981013

• Permit No: C1981013
• IBM Index Class Name: REVISION
• Doc Date: 7/11/2009
• Doc Name: Revegetation Report
• From: ARCADIS
• To: DRMS
• Type & Sequence: SL6
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

2.0 EVALUATION OF RECLAMATION SUCCESS FOR PHASE
III BOND RELEASE
The requirements for Phase III bond release are a 10-year minimum liability period since initial seeding,
documentation of revegetation success criteria, proof of post-mining land use capability, and analysis of
effects to surface and groundwater quantity and quality (CDMG; Guidelines Regarding Selected Coal
Mine Bond Release Issues, 1995). The year 2006 sampling event constitutes the second of the last 2 years
of the 10-year liability period. Achievement of the remaining requisite was documented by surveying the
established vegetation for cover, production, and species diversity standards; proving sustainable use of
the Irrigated Pasture and Rangeland Reclaimed Areas due to comparison with pre-mining baseline data;
and analysis of water quality and quantity data collected from the site over a 20-year period. Each
condition and its supporting documentation are discussed in the following sections.
2.1 REVEGETATION SUCCESS
2.1.1. Alluvial Valley Floor (AVF) Areas
Vegetation on the Irrigated Pasture Reclaimed Area and the associated AVF Reference Area was
randomly sampled on June 20 through June 23, 2005, and July 11 through July 16, 2006. Vegetative
cover and herbaceous biomass production were evaluated. There is no revegetation requirement for
species diversity specified in the permit for the Irrigated Pasture Reclaimed Area. The results of the study
are summarized below. A detailed description of the study and analyses are presented in Appendix A.
The approved reclamation success standards for the AVF Reclaimed Area, as specified by the CDMG
during permitting for the Golden Eagle Mine, are as follows:
Cover - Vegetation cover will be restored on the AVF Reclaimed Area to 90 percent of the cover on the
AVF Reference Area.
Production - Herbaceous vegetation production will be restored on the AVF Reclaimed Area to 90
percent of the herbaceous production on the AVF Reference Area.
Shrub Component - Up to 5% of the species composition will be shrubs or, alternatively, the area will
support 2 to 4 shrubs per meter squared.
The 2005 sampling event determined that cover values on the Irrigated Pasture Reclaimed Area (39.9
percent) exceeded the cover values for the AVF Reference Area (36.5 percent), thereby satisfying the
success standard specified in the permit. Tables A4 and A-5 summarize the mean absolute cover and
relative cover values of all the vegetative species captured during the 2005 sampling event on the AVF
Reference and Irrigated Pasture Reclaimed Areas.
The year 2006 cover values on the Irrigated Pasture Reclaimed Area (20.9 percent) were determined to
exceed the cover values for the AVF Reference Area (19.5 percent), thereby satisfying the success
standard specified in the permit. Tables A-8 and A-9 summarize the mean absolute cover and relative
cover values of all the vegetative species captured during the 2006 sampling event on the AVF Reference
and Irrigated Pasture Reclaimed Areas.
•
2215 Golde E4c PH3BOND 2006 3-10-08.dm 2-1