2011-03-18_PERMIT FILE - C1981044A (4)

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No 9 Portal Area Prior to portal sealing and initial backfilling, production facilities and equipment including the electrical equipment, surface coal haulage equipment (conveyor belt system), ventilation equipment, and i miscellaneous mining scrap located in the portal excavation were removed from the site. The portal entries, located at the bottom of the portal excavation were covered with 15 feet of inert material effectively sealing the No.9 portals in accordance with the portal sealing plan approved by MSHA. No toxic or combustible materials were used in the construction of the seals. All exposed coal seams were then covered with a minimum of four feet of inert backfill material. Once the initial backfilling was completed, coarse reject material and coal waste that had been previously stockpiled at the No.9 Portal site was placed over the No.9 portal backfill. Waste material, including coarse reject is periodically hauled to the excavation and placed in 2-foot lifts. Placing of coarse reject in the excavation is an ongoing process which will continue until the fill reaches a maximum height of four feet below the planned reclaimed surface. Once the waste material reaches its designed height, the remainder of the excavation will be covered with backfill material from disturbed areas surrounding the portal excavation. As previously discussed in Section 2.05.3, Operation Plan -Permit Area, a coal refuse disposal site leas been approved for the backfill area at the No. 9 Portal. Therefore, reclamation activities at the No. 9 Portal will be an ongoing process. Although final grading of the backfill has not been completed, a monitoring well has been installed. Until final grading is completed, the well will be monitored for water level on a quarterly basis. Please refer to Exhibit 29 for frequency and parameters that will be monitored after final grading has been completed. It is currently envisioned that the shop/office building, scrap-yard, and associated pad will remain intact until BTU EC no longer needs these facilities. When no longer required as support facilities, the shop/office building will be demolished and the scrap-yard and pad areas reclaimed. The existing pad area will be graded consistent with the planned postmining topography. Please refer to the Reclamation Plan Map (Map 29) for the postmining topography. If excess base material is present, it will be transported to the waste disposal site and handled in accordance with the operations described in Exhibit 21, Waste Disposal Site. The area and associated pad will be covered with a minimum of four (4) feet of previously excavated material and regraded to blend with the surrounding terrain. The entire regraded area will be left in a roughened condition to minimise topsoil slippage. During portal backfilling operations, topsoil, stockpiled on the berm surrounding the portal excavation, was salvaged, placed in a temporary stockpile, and seeded with the appropriate topsoil stockpile seed mixture to protect it from erosion and loss. Topsoil temporarily stored adjacent to the No.9 Portal area, will be redistributed over regarded areas to a depth of 6 inches. The entire area, with the exception of the No.9 dewatering system below old County Road 13 will be returned to a postmining land use of cropland or pastureland. The planned postmining land-use for the No.9 Portal area is cropland, however, this area may be seeded with the pastureland seed mixture if this land-use coincides with adjacent land-uses at the time of reclamation. The seed mixture and final postmining land-use will be determined at the time the site is reclaimed in accordance with the dominant land-use for adjacent lands (i.e. cropland or pasture land). It is envisioned that any areas planted to cropland will be planted with a cereal grain, most likely winter wheat, at the rate of approximately 60 pounds/acre. The portion of the No.9 dewatering system located below old County Road 13 will be seeded with the rangeland/wildlife seed mixture and returned to a postmining land use of rangeland/wildlife. It is anticipated that a rangeland drill will be used for all seeding; however, if the seed mixture is broadcast seeded, the seeding rate will be doubled. The reseeded areas will then be straw mulched, with the mulch applied at a rate of two tons/acre, and it will either be crimped in or applied with a tackifier. TR07-34 2.05-28 ld/31 /07