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was disposed of on-site. This material, known as coal refuse,was placed in two large coal refuse <br /> disposal areas. The original, or Old Refuse Pile is estimated to be over forty acres in size, while <br /> the newer, or Sutey Refuse Pile is about twenty acres in area. Each of these facilities contains <br /> hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of refuse material. <br /> Prior to mining being initiated by Mid-Continent, it is surmised that Dutch and Coal Creeks were <br /> confluent in the area of the wash plant. This area is one of the few places lower in the Basin <br /> which contains any significant amount of flat ground, thus making it desirable for offices, mine <br /> facilities and the wash plant/drier complex. In order to maximize the amount of flat ground in <br /> this area, Mid-Continent diverted Dutch Creek to the east around the perimeter of the flatter area. <br /> The upper one half of the stream diversion was contained by berming sufficient quantities of <br /> rock and earth to contain the creek at normal flow levels. The lower portion of the diversion, <br /> about four hundred feet in length, was a concrete lined open box shaped channel. This channel <br /> allowed Dutch Creek to enter into Coal Creek via an approximately forty feet tall waterfall at the <br /> end of the channel. <br /> Mid-Continent eventually determined that continued hauling of coal from the mines to the wash <br /> plant via the road network was not economic. Therefore, an access to some of the mines was <br /> driven under Huntsman Ridge from a location near Dutch Creek. This facility, known as the <br /> Rock Tunnel, consisted of two fifteen feet by fifteen feet bores which intersected some of the <br /> mines well under the Ridge. After completion of the Rock Tunnel, men and equipment accessed <br /> the mines via one tunnel,while coal was hauled via conveyor belt from the adjacent tunnel. The <br /> raw coal was transported from the Rock Tunnel via an approximately 4,000 feet long overland <br /> conveyor system to one of two stockpile locations. Both of the stockpile locations were <br /> constructed in a manner similar to that of the mine highwalls and benches. Long,vertical cuts <br /> were made in two hillsides, creating the flat pads upon which the coal was stockpiled prior to <br /> being transported to the wash plant area to be cleaned and dried. <br /> The Rock Tunnel was driven through solid rock,rather than coal, and thus generated a great <br /> quantity of waste rock material. The Rock Tunnel Waste Rock Dump was constructed to <br /> accommodate this excess rock material. The Rock Tunnel Waste Rock Dump is located on the <br /> south side of Dutch Creek, and is about twelve to fourteen acres in size. <br /> RECLAMATION REQUIREMENTS <br /> In the late 1970's, the Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (the Act) was signed <br /> into law. This statute provides operational and reclamation guidelines and requirements for coal <br /> mining operations. The Act encourages states, such as Colorado, to establish similar legislation <br /> and regulations at the State level. State implementation of its version of the Act is over sighted <br /> by the Federal Office of Surface Mining. <br /> The Act requires that reclamation be conducted in a manner which ensures that areas affected by <br /> coal mining operations are returned to a productive post mining land use. The Act provides for <br /> an exemption of reclamation requirements for areas affected prior to passage of the Act, provided <br /> that these `pre-law' areas were not re-affected after implementation of the Act. This provision is <br /> important at the Coal Basin Mines because a portion of the Old Refuse Pile was created prior to <br /> the effective date of the Act, and it was not re-disturbed after that date. <br /> 3 <br />