2013-06-18_REVISION - C1980006 (8)

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approved reclamation plan, and the final inspection procedures of 3.03.2 have been satisfied. This shall not be before the expiration of the period specified for revegetation responsibility in 3.02.3." Rule 3.03.1(4) states, "No bond shall be fully released until all reclamation requirements of these Rules and the Act are fully met..." The same rule goes on to state, "No acreage shall be released from the permit area until all surface coal mining and reclamation operations on that acreage have been completed in accordance with the approved reclamation plan." The Marr Mine reclamation plan (page 780 -57 of the PAP) includes the following text: "Having identified the premining conditions, Kerr Coal Company proposes to commence mining according to the following sequence: removal of soil and protection of existing soil resources; removal of overburden; extraction of the coal resources; backfilling, grading, and re- contouring of the land to its approximate original contour; reestablishment of surface drainage patterns; redistribution of soil; and revegetation and restoration of the affected area to the premining land use." The approved post- mining land use for both the mine site and the loadout is rangeland and wildlife habitat. In the PAP, Kerr Coal Company has committed to protect the hydrologic balance by complying with the requirements of the discharge permit issued by the Water Quality Control Division (a division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment). Also, Kerr Coal Company committed to adhere to a comprehensive drainage, erosion, and sediment control plan that includes: • Stream buffer zones • Timely reclamation and revegetation of mined areas • Mulching, roughening, and furrowing of reclamation surfaces to promote infiltration • Construction and maintenance of sediment control ponds and auxiliary features (e.g., sideslope protection) • Diversion of some undisturbed areas away from disturbed areas • Controlling runoff from roads, facilities, and other structures with ditches and culverts. Protection of groundwater, quantity and quality, is also addressed in the PAP. Kerr Coal Company committed to the following: • Sealing of exploration holes • Soil handling practices to minimize the water infiltrating spoils • Limiting operational water demand. To assess reclamation success at the mine site and the loadout, four parameters were used: • Total vegetative cover, determined by comparison to the respective reference areas • Herbaceous productivity, determined by comparison to the respective reference areas • The forage quality index (used to determine suitable vegetative diversity), determined by assigning palatability values to the herbaceous plant species encountered in the total vegetative cover sample for the reference areas • Woody plant density success, determined by comparison of the woody stem density data from the reclaimed sites to a numeric standard.