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benign spoil material, any negative effects of problematic material would be ameliorated. <br />No acid or toxic-forming material was identified during reclamation operations, and there <br />was no need for special handling of overburden materials. <br />The Division approved this method for covering acid and toxic forming materials in order <br />to prevent leaching into surface and ground water and to insure backfill stability. <br />(4.14.3(2)). <br />The proposed operation is in compliance with the requirements of this section. <br />VIII. Revegetation <br />Information on baseline vegetation for the Seneca II-W Mine permit area can be found in <br />Tab 10. Section 10.1 contains the contents from the previously approved permit application <br />package and Section 10.2 contains the information from the 1997 supplemental baseline <br />study of the Seneca II-W South Extension area. Information on the revegetation plan and <br />revegetation success criteria for the permit area can be found in Tab 22 of the permit <br />application. <br />During the course of the original permit review, a number of concerns arose regarding the <br />control of reference areas and reference area comparability. The applicant proposed, in <br />meetings with the Division, an extended reference area concept, which was subsequently <br />approved. As approved, the applicant will utilize all undisturbed vegetation communities <br />(representing those to be disturbed by mining) within the permit area as components of <br />"extended reference areas". The components of the extended reference areas will be <br />represented by a minimum of 100 acres of undisturbed aspen community, 300 acres of big <br />sagebrush/grassland community, 450 acres of mixed brush community, and 150 acres of <br />western wheatgrass/alkali sagebrush community. In the II-W South Extension area, the <br />extended reference area will be represented by a minimum of 230 acres of aspen forest, 300 <br />acres of mountain brush, 150 acres of steep mountain brush, 200 acres of sagebrush and 100 <br />acres of wheatgrass/alkali sagebrush. <br />The permanent seedmixes are composed predominantly of native species, and the few <br />introduced species included are desirable and necessary to achieve the approved postmining <br />land use, and are not poisonous or noxious. Two years of monitoring data for various <br />reclaimed areas at the Seneca II mine which were seeded with the proposed alfalfa variety <br />(Medicago falcata), at the proposed rate (.251bs/acre) indicate that falcata alfalfa does not <br />compete excessively with other seeded species. Given its value as a nitrogen fixer and as <br />wildlife forage, inclusion of the species in the seedmix is warranted. <br />In TR-32, SCC committed to notify the Division each year with the seed mixes they can <br />obtain from the vendor. If the mix does not match the approved seed mix, SCC will submit <br />a minor revision to the Division for species approval prior to seeding. The complete <br />seedmix used in each reclaimed area is also listed in the Annual Reclamation Report. <br />Seneca II-W Findings Document 49 C1982057 <br />Permit Renewal No. 5 December 9, 2010