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III. OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS <br />The bond release inspection was conducted on 19 and 20 July 2011. All of the requested areas <br />were small, linear areas and included drill pads for MDW's and their associated access roads. <br />The MDW pads and roads were located above the B -Seam in longwall panels 14 -24 and were <br />located in four general areas: Sylvester Gulch, West Flat Iron, Long Draw and Deep Creek. <br />Based on the application, there were 55 individual disturbed sites. 35 of these sites were <br />inspected on the 19 -20 July inspection, 15 of the sites were inspected on the 19 -20 June 2012 <br />inspection and the remaining five sites were inspected on the 7 August 2012 inspection. All of <br />the requested sites are listed on the attached Table 1. <br />The reclamation plan for MDW pads generally has the following three steps: <br />1. Upon completion of each phase of activity at a given site, all debris, trash, and drilling related <br />equipment, or de -gas housing will be removed from the site. <br />2. When the mud pit or pits are sufficiently dry, they will be filled with stored soil material and <br />compacted to minimize any settling. <br />3. A backhoe and a bulldozer will redistribute material on and around the drill pad to achieve as <br />closely as practicable the original contour of the site. The area will then be ripped or scarified. <br />Additionally, the reclamation plan calls for MDW access roads to be restored as closely as <br />possible to the approximate original contour, with an uneven final surface. <br />Approximate original contour for the drill pads and roads was verified during the inspection by <br />visual observation because of the small sizes of the disturbed areas (most drill pads are less than <br />one acre) and because all of the material that was regraded to achieve approximate original <br />contour was stockpiled on each site (or used in the pad or road cut and fill). <br />Additionally, wellbore locations on the ground surface were inspected for compliance with Rule <br />4.07.3, which requires that well bore closures be designed to prevent access to the mine workings <br />and to keep acid other toxic drainage from entering ground or surface waters. Rule 4.07.3 also <br />requires a hole to be marked. MCC also provided well abandonment reports in the SL -03 <br />application for all of the plugged and sealed boreholes in accordance with Rule 4.07.3(3). <br />No debris, trash, drilling related equipment or de -gas housing were found in the bond release <br />area. No mud pits were found. Borehole location markers were found on all but two sites, <br />although they may have been found at those locations with further searching. <br />All backfill material appeared to have been properly regraded on disturbed areas in the bond <br />release area, resulting in the disturbed lands blending well with the natural contour of adjacent <br />undisturbed lands. Cut slopes have also been regraded to blend with adjacent undisturbed lands. <br />Access roads have uneven surfaces as specified in the reclamation plan. Large boulders block <br />access to the reclaimed roads from the actively -used Forest Service roads. Downed aspen trees <br />also block access on the reclaimed roads. All regraded areas appeared structurally stable, with <br />West Elk Mine SL -03 Findings 5 10 August 2012 <br />