2009-04-01_REPORT - C1980005 (3)

Home Browse Search

• INTRODUCTION Quantitative sampling of reclaimed areas at Seneca Coal Company's (SCC) Seneca II Mine was undertaken in July 2008 by ESCO Associates to facilitate SCC's continuing monitoring of the progress of these areas in relation to revegetation performance standards. 2008 data collection was pursued toward the end of providing datasets to document vegetation conditions in reclaimed areas that were two (2006 Reclaimed Area) and seven (2001 Reclaimed Area) years-old. Requirements for interim monitoring set forth in the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety (CDRMS) permit for the Seneca II Mine mandate annual examination of reclaimed lands at the two, four and seven year old marks. There was no four year-old reclamation present. METHODS Interim Sampling The two-year-old reclamation (seeded in 2006) totaled approximately 158 acres. A total of sixteen samples were distributed in the 2006 reclamation at the rate of one sample per 10 ac. The seven-year-old reclamation (seeded in 2001) covered approximately 17 acres. A total of three samples were distributed in the 2001 reclamation since at the rate of one sample per 10 ac, • one or two samples would fail to provide useful information. These locations are shown on Map 1 "2008 Interim Monitoring Sample Locations." Reference Area Sampling The Mountain Brush and Sagebrush reference areas were sampled to provide data for comparison with reclaimed area data. Reference Area sampling locations are shown on Map 2, "2008 Reference Area Monitoring Sample Locations". Cover Sampling Cover data were collected along 50 m transects using a point-intercept method in which data were recorded as interceptions of a point with either plant species, litter, standing dead plant material, soil, or rock. Plant material produced during 2008 and still standing was tallied by species. Litter was considered to be any organic material that had fallen, or had begun to fall to the soil surface. Standing dead was any dead plant material that was produced in previous years but which was still standing and had not lodged or broken off to become litter. Inorganic materials greater than 1 cm in diameter were considered rock. The cover sampling points were optically projected using a Cover-Point Optical Point Projection Device developed by ESCO Associates. The 50 m transects were randomly located and oriented in the reclaimed and reference areas. . One hundred points were collected along each transect. A pair of points were collected every meter with points sampled on opposite sides of each transect at a distance of 0.5 m from the transect.