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Peerless Resources Inc disturbed 16.5 acres on the site in preparation for underground mining of <br />250,000 tons of coal annually from two coal seams in the Menefee Formation. The permittee ceased <br />operations prior to excavating a portal and underground entries. Some coal was surface-mined when <br />a coal seam became exposed. <br />Following a series of enforcement actions and unabated violations, the MLRB revoked Permit No. <br />C-1984-067 on November 15, 1988, and on August 22, 1990, ordered the $140,000 bond forfeited. <br />Reclamation Plan <br />The approved reclamation plan is described in section 2.05.4 of the permit application No. C-1984- <br />67. The plan called for the following reclamation tasks: sealing of portals, removal of structures, <br />backfilling, regrading, and seeding. As a pre-law site, topsoil from the disturbed area had not been <br />salvaged; thus a premining vegetation survey was unavailable. A minimum of 12 inches of suitable <br />plant growth medium was to be placed on disturbed areas. The disturbed areas were to be seeded <br />with a seed mix of perennial cool weather grass and forb species, and woody shrubs. Seedlings of <br />woody shrub species were to be hand-planted. No structures were approved as permanent. The <br />approved post-mining land use was wildlife habit. As a pre-law site, revegetation success was to be <br />determined in accordance with Section 4.15.10 (cover not less than cover existing before <br />redisturbance, and cover adequate to control erosion). The Division specified 70% live vegetative <br />ground cover as the revegetation success criterion (permit Stipulation 6). <br />Reclamation Completed <br />The Division's Inactive Mines Program reclaimed the disturbed area on the Coal Gulch site in <br />September 1994 using all of the funds from the forfeiture of bond associated with permit C-84- <br />067. The work was conducted by private contractors, and included: <br />1. Backfilling as much of the exposed highwall from the old pit as money would allow; <br />2. Allowing natural drainage from the existing gulches to pass through "French" drains at <br />the foot of the gulch; <br />3. Backfilling exposed coal seams; <br />4. Topsoiling and revegetating the disturbed area; <br />5. Regrading and revegetating for treatment of mine water discharge from a portal on the <br />site from a pre-law mine portal. <br />The Division had the site sprayed for thistle in 2001. No additional funds are available for site <br />maintenance. <br />Current Use of the Site <br />The site is open rangeland. The only structures on the site are two impoundments (a constructed <br />sediment control/mine water treatment pond located 200 feet north of U.S. Highway 160 and a <br />surface depression in the northwest part of the site) and a diversion ditch that extends along the <br />western perimeter of the disturbed area. Approximately one acre of the disturbed area has used <br />by an unknown party since approximately 2007 for storage of trailers, fuel storage tanks, barrels, <br />3