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order to keep costs down,yet accomplish effective revegetation,the spray on blanket was <br /> selectively applied to a narrow band at the upper most margin of the mine bench outslopes. <br /> Slightly modified conventional revegetation was undertaken for the rest of the slope length down <br /> slope of the spray on blanket. Due to the extremities of high altitude sites, the relative success of <br /> the 1997 effort cannot yet be scientifically determined. This is especially true given that the <br /> critical moisture period of the spring of 1998 was very dry. However, qualitative observations <br /> made of the revegetation effort in the early fall of 1998 suggest that the effort will have the <br /> desired results. <br /> The total project cost was $72,260 to revegetate twelve acres, plus plant trees on an additional <br /> three acres. This cost also included tree planting, site preparation work, native seed collection <br /> and machine rental time. <br /> Warehouse Vicinity <br /> In 1997, the Division accomplished reclamation of the warehouse vicinity, including the <br /> multi-structure warehouse complex, access roads,two coal stockpiles,the overland conveyor <br /> system corridor and incidental disturbances. This project reclaimed 18.4 acres of highly <br /> disturbed land for a cost of$143,932. Reclamation included significant concrete demolition and <br /> disposal, consolidation of remnant coal at the stockpile locations, backfilling of the two <br /> highwalls at the stockpile locations,re-grading of the overland conveyor corridor, drainage <br /> construction, and general grading work and revegetation of the entire project area. <br /> During the winter following completion of the Project,two slope failures occurred at the upper <br /> most coal stockpile area. It is believed that these failures were due to one or more previously <br /> unknown springs which saturated the backfill,thus causing about one third of the fill to fail. <br /> These failures were repaired in 1998, by constructing gravel filled drainage systems within the <br /> failure zones, and then backfilling and grading the slides so they resemble their pre-failure land <br /> form. Weather constraints limited topsoil application and revegetation to only one of the slides <br /> in 1998. Topsoil application and revegetation of the western failure will take place this summer. <br /> Wash Plant Demolition <br /> The reclamation plan in the permit specifies that all concrete within the office area and wash <br /> plant/ coal drier complex will be demolished and disposed of at the base of an adjacent hill side. <br /> The hill had been excavated into a highwall-like feature to facilitate coal processing operations. <br /> The permit estimated that about 50,000 cubic yards of concrete debris would be generated and <br /> placed at the disposal location. The permit specifies that the demolished concrete will be <br /> covered by coal refuse prior to topsoil being applied and the area revegetated. Division <br /> contractors accomplished the demolition and disposal of the concrete for a cost of$102,000 <br /> during the late spring and early summer of 1998. Other reclamation activities at the concrete <br /> disposal area are addressed by separate projects. <br /> Huntsman Project <br /> The Huntsman Project accomplished reclamation of a pre-law portion of the Old Refuse Pile. <br /> The portion of the Old Refuse Pile affected by this project had been identified as both highly <br /> 9 <br />