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3. Stability of reclaimed lands (applicable to Phase I, II, and III bond release); <br />4. The degree of difficulty and estimated cost to complete any remaining reclamation (applicable to <br />Phase I, II, and III bond release); <br />5. Topsoil replacement thickness (applicable to Phase II bond release); <br />6. Vegetation cover, species composition, and "bare area" evaluation (applicable to Phase II bond <br />release). Quantitative cover demonstration required for Phase II. <br />7. Erosional features (applicable to Phase II bond release); <br />8. Condition of sediment ponds (applicable to Phase II bond release); <br />9. Construction and performance of permanent impoundments, including P.E. certification and <br />provisions for future maintenance (applicable to Phase II bond release); <br />10. Total suspended solids comparison to pre-mining conditions or comparable adjacent areas <br />(applicable to Phase II bond release). <br />III. OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS <br />The following observations and findings focus on the specific evaluation/inspection topics listed in <br />Section II above. During the SL-3, Phase II bond release inspection conducted on July 15-17, 2008, <br />participants walked through large portions of the site subject to the bond release request, to allow for <br />visual assessment of compliance with pertinent requirements. A GPS unit was used to verify location <br />of permanent features and to record field data relevant to specific site locations. Relevant <br />documentation developed over the life of the operation, including information from operator annual <br />reports and prior Division inspection reports has also been utilized in the compliance evaluation, and <br />such documentation is referenced in this section as appropriate. <br />Results of Past Monthly Inspections <br />For Seneca II Mine, our inspection review extended back to the Phase 1 bond release inspection <br />report for SL-1, which applied to all of the lands included in the SL-3 application, as well as <br />additional lands that were not included in the SL-3 application. The SL-1 Phase 1 bond release <br />inspection report was issued August 24, 2006, based on inspection conducted 8/7/06 through 8/11/06. <br />Maintenance problems noted in the SL-1 inspection were checked during the SL-3 inspection. The <br />status of these previously identified problems is fully documented in the SL-3 inspection report. For <br />most of the locations, the identified problems were found to have been previously addressed; however <br />there were a few exceptions where continuing concerns were noted in the SL-3 inspection report. A <br />follow-up inspection was conducted on October 16 and 17, 2008; all remaining concerns were <br />resolved with the exceptions noted below.