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Section F – Reclamation Plan

Coalspur – Vista Project Section F – Reclamation Plan

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Table of Contents Page F. RECLAMATION PLAN ........................................................................................................... F1

F.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ F1 F.1.1 The Company ............................................................................................................... F2 F.1.2 Land Capability ............................................................................................................ F2 F.1.3 The Project Area .......................................................................................................... F3

F.1.3.1 Project Components ................................................................................................. F3 F.1.4 Reclamation Goals and Principles ............................................................................... F4 F.1.5 Public Engagement Values and Issues Related to Closure, Conservation and

Reclamation Planning ................................................................................................. F5 F.1.6 Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Land Use ....................................................... F6 F.1.7 End Land Use ............................................................................................................... F6

F.2 RECLAMATION PLANNING .......................................................................................... F10 F.2.1 Environmental Assessment ........................................................................................ F10

F.2.1.1 Hydrology .............................................................................................................. F10 F.2.1.2 Soils ....................................................................................................................... F10 F.2.1.3 Vegetation and Wetlands ....................................................................................... F11 F.2.1.4 Wildlife .................................................................................................................. F12 F.2.1.5 Fisheries ................................................................................................................. F12

F.2.2 Reclamation Schedule ................................................................................................ F12 F.2.3 Adaptive Management for Reclamation .................................................................... F14 F.2.4 Conservation and Reclamation (C&R) and Closure Plan Assumptions .................... F14

F.3 CONSERVATION AND RECLAMATION PLAN .......................................................... F16 F.3.1 Reclamation Planning for Biodiversity ...................................................................... F16 F.3.2 Reclamation Planning for Wildlife ............................................................................ F17

F.3.2.1 Ungulates ............................................................................................................... F17 F.3.2.2 Carnivores.............................................................................................................. F17 F.3.2.3 Amphibians............................................................................................................ F18 F.3.2.4 Mineral Licks ......................................................................................................... F19

F.3.3 Reclamation Planning for Vegetation ........................................................................ F19 F.3.4 Conservation Program ............................................................................................... F20

F.3.4.1 Vegetation Clearing ............................................................................................... F20 F.3.4.2 Soil Conservation Program .................................................................................... F20 F.3.4.3 Overburden ............................................................................................................ F23

F.3.6 Mine Reclamation ...................................................................................................... F24 F.3.6.1 Final Grading and Recontouring ........................................................................... F24 F.3.6.2 Soil Replacement Plan ........................................................................................... F24 F.3.6.3 Revegetation Plan .................................................................................................. F26

F.3.7 Targets and Indicators ................................................................................................ F35 F.3.8 Maintenance ............................................................................................................... F36 F.3.9 Research and Monitoring ........................................................................................... F36

F.3.9.1 Reclamation Research and Monitoring Program (RRMP) .................................... F37 F.3.9.2 Research Focus ...................................................................................................... F38 F.3.9.3 Monitoring Focus .................................................................................................. F39 F.3.9.4 Schedule for Monitoring and Research Trial Establishment ................................. F40


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F.3.9.5 Reporting ............................................................................................................... F40 F.4 CLOSURE PLAN .............................................................................................................. F41

F.4.1 Reclaimed Landscapes ............................................................................................... F41 F.4.2 Soil Management ....................................................................................................... F42 F.4.3 Revegetation .............................................................................................................. F44 F.4.4 Surface Water Management ....................................................................................... F46

F.4.4.1 Erosion Control ..................................................................................................... F46 F.4.4.2 Groundwater .......................................................................................................... F46

F.4.5 Closure Plans ............................................................................................................. F46 F.4.5.1 Plant Site ................................................................................................................ F47 F.4.5.2 Fines Settling Pond ................................................................................................ F47 F.4.5.3 Settling Ponds ........................................................................................................ F48 F.4.5.4 Access Road/Conveyor Right of Way ................................................................... F48 F.4.5.5 Clean Coal Loadout ............................................................................................... F48 F.4.5.6 End Pit Lake .......................................................................................................... F48 F.4.5.7 Linear Corridors .................................................................................................... F50

F.5 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................ F50 F.5.1 Public Engagement and Aboriginal Consultation Summary ..................................... F51

List of Tables Table F.1.3.1 Vista Mine Disturbance Areas ............................................................................... F4 Table F.1.7.1 Project Resource Objectives (from AFLW, 1990) ................................................ F8 Table F.2.2.1 Reclamation Schedule ......................................................................................... F12 Table F.2.2.2 Annual Disturbance and Reclamation of Mining Areas ...................................... F13 Table F.3.4.1 Available Soil Salvage Volumes ......................................................................... F22 Table F.3.6.1 Preliminary Soil Replacement Volumes .............................................................. F25 Table F.3.6.2 Correlation of Pre-Mining Ecosite Phases to Reclaimed Ecological Units ......... F26 Table F.3.6.3 Target species of Reclaimed Ecological Communities ....................................... F28 Table F.3.6.4 Seed Mixes .......................................................................................................... F32 Table F.3.6.5 Native Woody Plant Species for Reclamation ..................................................... F34 Table F.3.7.1 Criteria, Indicators and Targets of Successful Reclamation at time of

Certification ......................................................................................................... F36 Table F.4.1.1 Comparison of Pre-mining and Reclaimed Terrain at Closure ............................ F41 Table F.4.2.1 Soil Salvage Volumes at Closure ........................................................................ F43 Table F.4.3.1 Comparison of Cover of Pre- and Post-Reclamation Ecological Units ............... F45 Table F.4.5.1 Lake Characteristics ............................................................................................ F49


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List of Figures Figure F.1.3.1 Vista Mine Components Figure F.1.3.2 Year 5 Reclamation progression Figure F.1.3.3 Year 10 Reclamation Progression Figure F.3.7.1 Ecological Units at Year 10 Figure F.4.0.1 Years 2025 - 2029 Reclamation Progression Figure F.4.0.2 Years 2030 - 2034 Reclamation Progression Figure F.4.1.1 Closure Reclamation Landscape Figure F.4.1.2 Closure Cross Sections Figure F.4.3.1a Ecological Units at Closure Figure F.4.3.1b Ecological Units at Closure


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F. RECLAMATION PLAN F.1 INTRODUCTION The following document presents the objectives and methods that will be used to develop and reclaim the lands disturbed by the Coalspur Mines (Operations) Ltd. (Coalspur) Vista Mine Project (Project). This Conservation and Reclamation (C&R) and Closure Plan for the Project have been prepared to:

• provide information about the planning process for the ongoing reclamation and the ultimate closure of the Project; and,

• provide the goals and endpoints for the development and reclamation of the Project.

The closure plan provides an overview of the development and reclamation plan, while the conservation and reclamation plan focuses on the ten year mining and reclamation plan.

This document forms the basis for the application for approval of the Project under the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act. It contains information required as per Section 2.9 of the Final Terms of Reference, which states:

2.9 Conservation and Reclamation

[A] Provide a conceptual conservation and reclamation plan for the Project. Describe and map as applicable: a) any existing Conservation and Reclamation Plan; b) current land use and capability and proposed post-development land use and capability; c) anticipated timeframes for completion of reclamation stages and release of lands back to the

Crown including an outline of the key milestone dates for reclamation and how progress to achieve these targets will be measured;

d) constraints to reclamation such as timing of activities, availability of reclamation materials and influence of natural processes and cycles including natural disturbance regimes;

e) post-development land capability with respect to: i) self-sustaining topography, drainage and surface watercourses representative of the

surrounding area, ii) existing traditional use with consideration for traditional vegetation and wildlife

species in the reclaimed landscape, iii) end pit lakes, iv) wetlands, v) self-sustaining vegetation communities representative of the surrounding area

capable of ecological succession, and vi) reforestation and forest productivity;

f) a revegetation plan for the disturbed terrestrial, riparian and wetland areas; g) water supply capability of post-mine landscape; h) reclamation material salvage, storage areas and handling procedures; i) reclamation material replacement indicating depth, volume and type; j) existing and final reclaimed site drainage plans; k) integrating surface and near-surface drainage within the Project Area; and l) promotion of biodiversity.

[B] Provide a predicted Ecological Land Classification map for the post-reclamation landscape considering potential land uses, including traditional uses and how the landscape and soils have been designed to accommodate future land use.


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[C] Provide a conceptual plan to monitor reclamation performance and success (including soils, vegetation, wildlife and aquatic resources).

[D] Describe how the Proponent considered the use of progressive reclamation in project design and reclamation planning.

[E] Discuss uncertainties related to the conceptual reclamation plan.

F.1.1 The Company

The Project is the flagship project of Coalspur Mines (Operations) Ltd., a new company in the Alberta coal mining sector. Located in the historic Coal Branch region of Alberta, Coalspur believes that the Project has the potential to be one of the largest export thermal coal mines in North America.

Coalspur has assembled a team of experienced mine planning and environmental planning professionals with considerable experience in coal resource development in Alberta and Western Canada. The Coalspur team is backed by an experienced group of mine planning, mine reclamation and environmental planning consultants.

F.1.2 Land Capability

Four key provincial government documents provide legislation and direction regarding the reclamation of coal mines:

• Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA) (Province of Alberta, 1992); • Conservation and Reclamation Regulations of EPEA (Province of Alberta, amended to 2011); • Conservation and Reclamation Code of Practice for Alberta (AEP, 1995); and, • "A Guide to the Preparation of Applications and Reports for Coal and Oil Sands Operations"

(LCRC, 1991). • Guide to Content for Industrial Approval Applications: New, Renewal and Amendment, April

2012 Draft.

The goal of reclamation in Alberta is to achieve a land capability that is equivalent to what existed prior to disturbance. Land capability is defined as:

“the ability of the land to support a given land use, based on an evaluation of the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the land, including topography, drainage, hydrology, soils and vegetation. For the purposes of the definitions of land capability and equivalent land capability, land is defined as “terrestrial, semi-aquatic, and aquatic landscapes” (Province of Alberta 2007).

Reclamation targets are determined by the regulatory requirement to return the lands to equivalent land capability that will be supportive of the stated end land use objectives. Those objectives and the numerous pre-disturbance vegetation inventories and post mining monitoring on the reclaimed lands are used to assess the reclamation success and the results will help define future reclamation planning and improvement.

The return of equivalent land capability does not mean that the reclaimed landscape will be identical to pre-disturbance condition but provides for flexibility. This plan recognizes that land capability can be improved following reclamation.


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When planning the reclamation for the Project, vegetation and soils are typically used to evaluate other biophysical site factors that will return biologically achievable end land uses.

Coalspur has ensured that the reclamation plan was developed with input from the environmental impact assessment and from the extensive public engagement and Aboriginal consultation programs that were carried out.

F.1.3 The Project Area

The Project is located primarily within the Upper Foothills Natural Subregion of Alberta. The northwest part of the access road and conveyor corridor is located in the Lower Foothills Natural Subregion (Natural Regions Committee 2006).

Vegetation within the development area is dominated by lodgepole pine stands with white spruce and mixed wood forested areas occupying valleys and lower slopes. Poorly drained areas can be poor to rich fens with black spruce, tamarack, and dwarf birch or in very wet areas dominated by graminoids or shrubs (Natural Regions Committee 2006). Understory species vary with moisture regimes, common indicator species including; bearberry, common juniper, hairy wild rye, bracted honeysuckle, ferns, cow parsnip, bluejoint, bog cranberry, feather moss, Labrador tea, and common blueberry. Wet areas (fens) typically contain understory species consisting of dwarf birch, willows, various moss species, and/or a range of sedge species.

Soils are dominated by either Brunisolic Gray Luvisols or Orthic Gray Luvisols on moderately well to imperfectly drained sites. Poorly drained areas are dominated by Typic or Terric Mesisols of variable thickness. Transitional areas contain Gleysolic soils, often containing surface peat deposits. Surficial materials are predominantly medium textured and glacial till deposits of varying thickness. Areas of steep slopes or areas influenced by glaciofluvial/post glaciofluvial activity often display exposed bedrock, tertiary gravels and colluvium. Areas of subdued terrain contain fine textured glaciolacustrine clay deposits as well as coarse textured sands.

The Project area currently has a number of important land uses as described in Section E.15, including commercial forestry (West Fraser’s FMA covers the entire project area), oilfield activities, hunting, trapping, fishing, ATV use and gravel supply. The Hinton Fish and Game Association gun range and club facilities are located near the proposed load-out and conveyor. Traditional Land Uses as broadly identified through discussions with several aboriginal communities are summarized in Section E.11 and Consultant report CR #11. The summary also includes the collection of traditional plants, hunting, trapping and spiritual connection with the lands.

This consultation process will be ongoing through the life of the mine.

F.1.3.1 Project Components

The development of the Project will include the following components:

• a coal processing plant site; • a coal conveyor to a railway loadout facility • administration and maintenance buildings, material storage and equipment laydown areas; • electrical distribution system; • an external fines settling pond; • a mine pit;


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• three external overburden disposal areas (waste rock dumps); and • reclamation material stockpiles.

The mine components are shown on Figure F.1.3.1. Table F.1.3.1 provides the estimated areas of the disturbance associated with the project components for the first phase of development of the Project.

Table F.1.3.1 Vista Mine Disturbance Areas Project Component Land Disturbed (ha)

Plant site 80 Plant Storage Pond 54 ROM Conveyor and access road 15 Loadout Conveyor 50 Fines Settling Pond 295 Reclamation Material Storage 155 Settling Ponds 8 Pit 911 North Dump 578 Central Dump 206 Southwest Dump 297 Total Disturbance 2649

The development and reclamation of the mine project will be phased over time and will allow for implementation of a progressive reclamation program. Please refer to Figures F.1.3.2 to F.1.3.3 for a depiction of the annual mining/reclamation progression for 2014, 2019 and 2024. Figures of the annual mining and reclamation progressions are provided in Section C.1 (Figures C.1.4.1 to C.1.4.18).

F.1.4 Reclamation Goals and Principles

Coalspur’s primary reclamation goal for the Project is to return the lands to a capability that is equivalent to predevelopment conditions. The reclaimed lands will feature regionally compatible landforms and vegetation patterns that are will be ecologically functional and successional. The reclamation program will result in lands that are maintenance-free and self-sustaining.

The ecological system will be self-sustaining and will experience normal successional processes during the evolution of the reclaimed landscapes. The landscape will evolve through seral states of initial revegetation to self-sustaining ecosystems consisting of mature vegetation communities typical of the region.

The following goals and principles have been incorporated in the reclamation and closure planning:

• progressive reclamation will be undertaken whenever practical within the requirements of the mine plan;

• landforms will be geo-technically stable and will be integrated into the surrounding natural landforms;

• a variety of landforms (slopes and aspects) will be in the reclamation landscape;


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• surface water drainage systems will be designed to minimize erosion rates and sediment loading; • the end pit lake will be ecologically sustainable; • forest capability, including commercial forestry potential, will be equivalent to pre-development

conditions; • reclaimed areas will be developed into self-sustaining ecosystems with an acceptable degree of

biodiversity; • on-site public health and safety will be protected; • reclamation certification will be achieved to allow transfer of the lands back to the Crown; • direct placement of reclamation materials will be undertaken, whenever practical, to maximize

the potential viability of native seed banks and propagules; • natural invasion of native vegetation will be encouraged in ecologically receptive areas; and • local native seed sources will be used wherever practical to maintain genetic integrity of re-

established plant communities.

As part of their corporate policies Coalspur will ensure that during the on-going reclamation and closure process:

• end land use objectives are developed in consultation with stakeholders, building on the existing consultation process; and

• adaptive management of the C&R and Closure plan will be pursued through the incorporation of the results of the site wide environmental monitoring programs, through site specific research and regional research initiatives such the Foothills Research Institute.

Basic end land use goals for the Project include the following:

• reclaim the landscape to an equivalent capability, optimizing the value of watershed, timber, wildlife habitat, fish habitat, recreation or other resources, taking into account stakeholder preference;

• return forest productivity to equivalent pre-development levels; • return the aesthetic qualities of the landscape; and • provision for traditional land uses (e.g., gathering, hunting and trapping) as identified through

consultation with aboriginal communities.

F.1.5 Public Engagement Values and Issues Related to Closure, Conservation and Reclamation Planning

Coalspur received considerable input on existing land values and expectations for reclaimed lands through the extensive public engagement and aboriginal consultation programs. Information gained during the environmental assessment process has been used to identify issues relating to the development and reclamation of the mine. Through the examination of the existing mining operations in the Coal Branch Region, input from the public engagement and aboriginal consultation programs and consideration of the Terms of Reference (AEW, 2012) an issue screening process has been completed. Examples of identified issues include:

• native plant species are important; • commercial forest productivity needs to be re-established; • forest communities need to be established such that all of their functions are returned; • water quality and quantity is very important;


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• fisheries habitat is important to protect and to re-establish; • landform types and integration with adjacent undeveloped areas; • reclamation performance in terms of ecological development and sustainability; • end land uses – balancing the wants and needs of the various stakeholders; • wildlife habitat, health and population levels need to be protected and re-established; and • wildlife density on reclaimed lands needs to be planned and managed so as not be become higher

than the natural carrying capacity.

A more comprehensive list of issues relating to the development of the Project is included in Section G. Public Engagement.

F.1.6 Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Land Use

A Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Land Use report was completed as part of the Project application (CR# 11). Examples of concerns and comments expressed by the Aboriginal Groups to date include:

• Water is very important to aboriginal peoples and plays a strong part in spiritual values; • There is spiritual connection and energy in the interaction of water and rocks; • Bears and bear dens are an important cultural value; • Mineral licks and natural salt licks are important for wildlife; • Wildlife presence and health are very important for traditional land use values; • Medicinal and food plant species are very important traditional land use values; • The importance of land reclamation incorporating traditional land use values and locally native

species; and • Reclamation and process.

Various traditional land uses objectives were identified. Some of the TEK principles that Coalspur will incorporate into the Reclamation and Closure Plan include:

• direct placement of salvaged soil , where feasible, which will encourage biodiversity in the reclaimed landscape and increase the re-establishment of native vegetation;

• use local seed sources for reforestation to native species and for the reestablishment of traditionally important plant species;

• reestablishment of habitat for traditionally important wildlife species; and • establishment of wetlands, water bodies and grassy areas around some waterbodies

Coalspur is respectful of the spiritual aspects of TEK. A local stakeholder has identified the spiritual connection in the interaction of moving water and large rocks. In this regard Coalspur will ensure that rock features are placed in constructed stream channels, the end pit lake, and other terrestrial features similar to glacial erratics. Details are to be determined in discussion with aboriginal groups

F.1.7 End Land Use

Reclamation will be conducted to construct landscape patterns, provide mine soil substrates and establish plants to initiate development of a functioning ecosystem and will be focused by forestry, watershed protection, riparian, wetland and wildlife end land use objectives which will vary spatially and temporally across the Project area.


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The following assumptions were made for end land uses and final certification:

• the target ecosystems and vegetation communities identified in the C&R and Closure Plan will allow multiple uses. As an example, areas reclaimed to commercial forest use will also provide for wildlife, recreation and traditional land uses;

• end land use options available will be constrained by the type of landforms to be constructed; and • final end land use decisions will, in part, depend on government and local stakeholder input.

Regional land use was considered in the determination of end land uses. End land use objectives of the Project’s reclamation program include watershed protection, ecological values, commercial forestry, fisheries, wildlife habitat, traditional use and recreational use.

Coal Branch Integrated Resource Plan

The Coal Branch Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) (Alberta Forestry, Lands & Wildlife, 1990) is a planning document prepared by the Government of Alberta. The Project area is primarily within the McLeod Resource Management Area (RMA), one of 11 such RMA’s in the Coal Branch IRP. As stated in the IRP document,

"The management intent for the McLeod RMA is to provide for a range of multiple use activities especially timber harvesting and coal exploration and development. In addition, the importance of watershed protection, fisheries, wildlife, extensive recreation and historical resources must be also be recognized while recognizing the area’s resource values." (p. 53)

Part of the clean coal conveyor right of way and the coal loadout facility are located within the Yellowhead Corridor Resource Management Area. As stated in the IRP document:

“The management intent of for the Yellowhead Corridor RMA is to provide for a range of extensive and intensive recreation and tourism opportunities within a multiple land use context, and to recognize the development needs of existing communities.” (p. 23)

The Coalspur Project recognizes the values contained within these management planning documents and has incorporated these values into the conservation and reclamation planning.

The entire Project development area falls within one land use category (definitions from AFLW, 1990):

Zone 5 - Multiple Use: "To provide for the management and development of the full range of available resources, while meeting long-term objectives for watershed management and environmental protection."

Based on specific IRP objectives for the McLeod RMA, five resource uses have been identified for the Project reclaimed landscapes. These uses are ecologically and economically sustainable, socially acceptable, and are compatible with government planning objectives and regulatory requirements. One or more of these resource uses will be designated on the unit’s reclaimed landscape, depending on site characteristics.

Table F.1.7.1 outlines the resource objectives from the McLeod and Yellowhead Corridor RMA’s that pertain to the development and reclamation of the Project:


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Table F.1.7.1 Project Resource Objectives (from AFLW, 1990)

Resource Objectives associated with Project Area

Watershed Objective: (p. 55) 1. Ensure that existing & future resource developments don’t result in unacceptable

changes in water quality and quantity. (McLeod) 1. To maintain an optimal level of water quality and adequate volumes of water

within the context of regional water management objectives. (Yellowhead) 2. To minimize erosion and soil losses resulting from land use activities.

(Yellowhead)

Minerals Objectives: (p. 55) 1. To provide opportunities for coal exploration and development, especially in

areas associated with the Coalspur and McLeod River coal fields. (McLeod) 2. To provide opportunities for petroleum and natural gas exploration and

development. (McLeod) 2. To provide opportunities for coal exploration and development. (Yellowhead) 3. To allow for the continued development of coal resources throughout the area by making use of the infrastructure. (Yellowhead)

Timber Objectives: (p. 55) 1. To ensure that West Fraser Mills manages that portion of the FMA in the Forest

Management Unit E4N to provide a sustained yield of coniferous timber. (McLeod)

2. To maintain a sustained supply of deciduous timber, recognizing coniferous timber production. (McLeod)

3. To minimize the effect of timber harvesting on visual resources. (McLeod)

Wildlife Objectives: (p. 56) 1. To increase elk population (from 80 to 200) animals. (McLeod) 2. To increase moose densities from 0.1/km2 to 0.3/km2. (McLeod)

1. To increase the elk population from 40 to 80 animals outside Zone 2 areas. Moose populations will be managed to retain present densities of 0.3/km2 outside Zone 2 areas. (Yellowhead)

Fisheries Objectives: (p. 56) 2. To protect critical trout spawning stream reaches from habitat degradation.

(McLeod) 3. To maintain and enhance the rainbow trout populations native to the Athabasca

drainage, in the upper McLeod and Gregg river systems. (McLeod) 4. To manage bull trout as a reproducing stream fishery. (McLeod)


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Table F.1.7.1 Project Resource Objectives (from AFLW, 1990)

Resource Objectives associated with Project Area

Recreation and Tourism

Objectives: (p. 57) 1. To provide and maintain auto access camping, day use facilities and water

access opportunities. (McLeod) 2. To provide and maintain trails and staging facilities for equestrian, hiking and

water based-based recreation. (McLeod) 7. To support existing equestrian riding operations in the area and provide opportunities for additional operation, as demand warrants. (McLeod) 4. To protect the visual landscape qualities for along highways 16, 40 and

47 (ie: lines of sight). (Yellowhead)

Historical resources and rangeland were also noted as resource objectives in the IRP, but are not appropriate for consideration in the Project reclamation plan. Note: IRP referrals to Weldwood have been changed to West Fraser Timber Ltd.

The Local Land Management Plan for the Luscar and Gregg River mine areas was developed to address the eventual return of public uses to those two mines once the lands are released back to the Crown. The process used for this plan could be modified and used for the Vista Project. Coalspur has discussed existing and potential future land use values for the Vista project in this application (Section E.15) and has incorporated these values into the mine’s reclamation plan.

Provincial Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan (GBRP) – The grizzly bear was provincially listed as a threatened species in June 2010. Alberta’s GBRP provides a framework of actions that are needed for the successful recovery of this species. Coalspur’s development and reclamation plans address many components of the GBRP.

Coalspur commits to being part of land management planning processes that are implemented in the Project regional area.


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F.2 RECLAMATION PLANNING

F.2.1 Environmental Assessment

An assessment of pre-development conditions was conducted to inventory baseline conditions. The baseline assessment was required for the development of the closure, conservation and reclamation plan. Information in the following areas has been included in the Vista Project reclamation plan:

• Fisheries (CR #2) • Groundwater (CR #3) • Hydrology (CR #6) • Soils and Terrain (CR #9) • Land Use (Sec. E.15) • Traditional Land Use (CR #11) • Vegetation, Wetlands and Biodiversity (CR #12) • Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat (CR #13)

The baseline information and the mitigations provided for the project impacts to were used in the development of the conservation, reclamation and closure plan. The detailed consultant reports that support this baseline are included in the corresponding consultant reports as listed above.

F.2.1.1 Hydrology

The Project is located to the south of the Athabasca River within the Athabasca River drainage basin. Topography on the lease varies between level to hummocky with a general eastward slope towards the McLeod River. The main drainage feature present within the Project is McPherson Creek. McPherson Creek is a tributary of the McLeod River which itself is a tributary of the Athabasca River. McPherson Creek will not be disturbed by the development of the Project.

F.2.1.2 Soils

The Project is located primarily within Soil Correlation Area (SCA) 14. Parent materials consist dominantly of veneers and blankets of Cordilleran till materials overlying bedrock materials of Tertiary or Cretaceous origin (Pedocan 1993). Landforms are influenced by underlying bedrock resulting in a variable surface relief.

Upland areas are dominated by Luvisols and Brunisols while Organics and Gleysols are common in poorly drained areas. A soil survey covering the entire Project lease has been completed (CR #9). Soil and terrain information was obtained during the 2010 and 2011 field seasons. Sufficient soil inspection data was obtained to achieve the survey intensity level required by the TOR for the Project.

Soil suitability for reclamation was rated as part of the assessment. Details on the reclamation suitability of the topsoil and subsoils are provided in the soil assessment. The following summary is provided:

• topsoil materials (A horizons) ranged from fair to good (F-G) to fair (F) as reclamation growth media;

• upper subsoil materials (B horizons) ranged from fair to good (F-G) to fair (F) as reclamation media; and



• lower subsoil materials (BC and C horizons) ranged from fair to (F) to fair – poor (F-P) to poor (P) as reclamation media.

Potential effects to the soil resource will be mitigated by the soil management plan implemented by Coalspur. Refer to CR# 9 for details of the soils and terrain assessment.

F.2.1.3 Vegetation and Wetlands

A detailed vegetation and wetlands assessment was completed on the project disturbance area in 2011 (CR #12). The assessment included:

• Vegetation communities present in the development area; • Rare plants, rare plant potential and rare plant communities; • Forest Resources; • Wetlands; • Old growth; • Noxious and invasive species; • TEK vegetation; and • Biodiversity.

A total of 344 vegetation species were observed and documented within the LSA, during field sampling surveys in 2011. Of these, 247 were vascular and included nine trees, 47 shrubs, 136 forbs and 55 grasses. The remaining 97 species were non-vascular and included 82 bryophytes, six ground lichens and nine epiphytic lichens. A complete listing of the flora identified in the study area is provided in CR# 12.

The project occurs primarily within ecosite phases L1, H1, E2, E1 and D1 (CR#12, Table 5.1). Traditional use plants have a high to very high potential to occur within ecosite phases e2 and l1, respectively (14% of the footprint) (CR#12, Section 5.5.1). Ten ecosite phases, including e2 and l1, occurring within the project footprint (24% of the footprint) could support traditional use plants of critical medicinal use although no specific harvesting areas have been identified to date. Table 8 of CR#11 provides a list of plant and fungi species used for traditional purposes in the project area, many being observed during vegetation inventory work conducted in 2011. There are fourteen ecosite phases of limited distribution in the area that occur within the project footprint. The Project will displace between <0.01 to 0.38% of the regional cover of each of the fourteen ecosite phases, at a cumulative displacement of 1.09%. Figure 4-1 of CR#12 provides a depiction of the pre-disturbance ecosite phases.

Timber productivity rating and timber volumes for the project footprint were provided as part of the assessment. Details on timber productivity rating are provided in the vegetation assessment.

Wetlands were found on 19.9% of the LSA, and cover 1,195.46 ha. Non-patterned, treed fens with no internal lawns (FTNN) are the most dominant wetland type in the study area (1,042.03 ha – 17.4%). Wetlands of limited distribution in the study area are BTNN, FONG, FONS, FOPN, MONG, STNN, and WONN, all of which encompass <1% of the area.

Potential effects to vegetation and wetlands as a result of the Project will be mitigated through the revegetation activities. The revegetation activities will be aimed at the long term establishment of vegetation communities and wetlands similar to those that are typical of the Upper Foothills Natural Subregion. Wetlands will likely be converted from, largely peatlands in the pre-mining landscape, to open water wetlands/lakes in the reclaimed areas.



F.2.1.4 Wildlife

One of the goals of the land reclamation program is the return of wildlife habitat and maintaining or increasing wildlife populations. Wildlife surveys for the Project commenced in 2011 and were completed in 2012 (CR #13). The surveys were completed to determine the status of the wildlife assemblages that inhabit the development area and to inventory the types and areal extent of wildlife habitat.

The impact assessment completed as part of the wildlife assessments provided recommendations for mitigation for project impacts to the wildlife assemblages and wildlife habitats in the Project development area. The wildlife report can be found in CR# 13.

Potential effects to the wildlife and wildlife habitat will be mitigated by the establishment of wildlife habitats in the reclaim landscape. Refer to Section F.3.2 for a summary of wildlife and wildlife habitat mitigations that have been included in the reclamation planning.

F.2.1.5 Fisheries

The Project development has been designed to minimize impacts to the local fisheries. There will not be any fish bearing streams disturbed by the mine development. Refer to CR#2 for the fisheries assessment.

F.2.2 Reclamation Schedule

Reclamation will begin as soon as possible after mining activities have been completed on a given area. Progressive reclamation has been optimized though the mine planning process to take advantage of all opportunities for progressive reclamation.

Reclamation will be undertaken in sequential steps as mining operations advance. These steps are illustrated in Table F.2.2.1.

Table F.2.2.1 Reclamation Schedule

Reclamation Activity Timing

Terrestrial Reclamation:

Resloping/Minesoil placement Year 0

Initial Revegetation Year 1

Fertilizing Years 1 - 3

Woody species planting Years 2-4

Biophysical monitoring Years 1 - 12

Reclamation Certification Year 15 - 20

Release back to Crown Site-dependent

Lake Reclamation:

Resloping & channel construction Year 0

Final water line reached Site Dependent

Revegetation Year 1-4



Table F.2.2.2, has been included which summarizes the expected annual disturbance and reclamation of the mining areas. The summary has been broken down geographically into a north and south area with the Val D’or subcrop establishing the boundary between the two.

Total disturbance of the northern area, which includes the in-pit disturbance north of the Val D’or subcrop, the Fines Settling Pond and the North Rock Dump is estimated to be 1,261 ha.

Total disturbance in the southern area, includes the in-pit disturbance south of the Val D’or subcrop, the Subcrop Rock Dump and the South Rock Dump is estimated to be 834 ha.

An additional 75 ha will be disturbed at closure during the highwall resloping activities which gives an overall mining disturbance of 2,170 ha.

The reclamation program will result in the formation of a patchwork of reclaimed areas across the mine site. This process allows for the earliest reclamation possible thereby reducing erosion and increasing the opportunities for direct placement of soil and storing less coversoil in stockpiles.

Reclamation certification will be requested when a block of land has achieved the required vegetation cover, landform stability and overall performance criteria. There will be several years between the time that initial reclamation work is completed and the time that tree survival and growth have met the standards set in the evaluation criteria. In most instances, a reclaimed area will meet the end land use goals and will be integrated into the regional area before the return of the land to the Crown through the land certification process.

Table F.2.2.2 Annual Disturbance and Reclamation of Mining Areas

Disturbance

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

to 2

029

2030

to 2

034

Disturbance at Closure Total

North Mine Area Disturbance 84 73 79 201 119 123 110 102 127 32 59 58 95 - 1262

South Mine Area Disturbance 40 112 208 43 65 84 81 129 37 21 15 - - - 835

Annual Mine Disturbance 124 185 287 244 184 207 191 231 164 53 74 58 95 0 2097

Reclamation 2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

to 2

029

2030

to 2

034

Reclamation at Closure Total

North Mine Area Reclamation - - 2 5 4 6 5 - 35 36 99 97 201 - 490

South Mine Area Reclamation - 27 40 16 50 22 11 9 - 16 - 221 203 611 1226

Annual Mine Reclamation 0 27 42 21 54 28 16 9 35 52 99 318 404 611 1716



Additional details of the reclamation schedule are provided in Sections 3.0 and 4.0.

F.2.3 Adaptive Management for Reclamation

Coalspur’s adaptive management approach will involve establishing end land use objectives according to pre-development land use capability, site-specific conditions, improved practices based on research and monitoring results, and input from the public engagement and aboriginal consultation programs. As reclamation proceeds, monitoring of reclamation and revegetation performance will allow land use objectives to be reviewed and, if necessary, modifications can be made to site expectations according to natural revegetation processes.

Adaptive management is intended to respond to changes and advances in technology, such as soil replacement and revegetation, to meet specific objectives. Coalspur will incorporate adaptive management techniques as routine components in all of its environmental management activities. These techniques provide the opportunity to develop and fine-tune the reclamation program using data collected on-site and from other regional operators.

Adaptive management may be used at any point throughout the project life cycle, but will have the greatest benefit in the early planning stages when the location and compositions of landforms are still to be decided. When landforms are designed or constructed, its use will facilitate the decision-making process on surface contouring measures and corrective initiatives that could improve surface drainage, decrease erosion or enhance vegetation performance.

Coalspur will use the experience gained during the development of the Project, and other successes by the regional coal operators over the next 10 years, to manage and implement an effective reclamation program.

Coalspur will work with other operators of coal mines, Alberta Environment and Water (AEW), Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (ASRD) and local stakeholders, to further develop criteria and monitoring programs that clearly demonstrate progress toward reclaiming environmentally sound sustainable ecosystems.

F.2.4 Conservation and Reclamation (C&R) and Closure Plan Assumptions

The C&R and Closure Plan was developed using several key assumptions regarding closure planning, detailed reclamation planning, end land uses and final certification and release of land back to the Crown, including the following:

• changes to the mine plan will require modification of the reclamation and closure plans; • the probability of design changes to the mine and closure plans increases over time and are

expected; • the design of the closure landscape will be integrated with the surrounding undisturbed terrain; • there are uncertainties in the closure planning process which include the long-term performance

of vegetation communities and capability to return landscape biodiversity; • uncertainties in landscape performance and technology will be resolved through use of the

principles of adaptive management, and knowledge gaps are to be resolved through research programs; and

• the C&R and Closure plan provided is conceptual in nature due to the evolutionary nature of both mine technology development, mine planning and reclamation planning.



The following assumptions were used for the detailed reclamation planning process:

• reclamation practices used by other regional coal mine operators and information gained from the EIA are used as the foundation of the Project’s reclamation planning;

• current regional soil handling practices provide the basis for soil reconstruction and revegetation practices;

• reconstructed soil performance will mimic natural soils over time; • the revegetation program will be guided by information gained by the EIA, and input from public

engagement and aboriginal consultation; and • target vegetation communities identified in the C&R and Closure Plan are conceptual in nature

and it is recognized that it is not currently possible to accurately predict ecosystem succession over time.

Several conventions are used throughout this document in terms of terminologies and practices. For the purposes of the C&R and Closure, the following definitions apply:

• Coversoil and overburden are defined as detailed in the most current regional coal mine EPEA approval. These are provided in Section F.3.4.2.

• Fine coal refuse and sodic overburden materials will be assessed for suitability for reclamation by the definitions provided in Section F.3.5.3. If the materials are found to be unsuitable they will be covered with a sufficient cover of suitable material to ensure, with the addition of coversoil an adequate root zone depth.



F.3 CONSERVATION AND RECLAMATION PLAN The Conservation and Reclamation (C&R) Plan for the Project provides details on the annual reclamation activities for the first 10 year period of the mine development as well as less frequent snapshots through to the closure of the mine. The C&R plan provides the specific reclamation procedures that will be employed during the first 10 years of operation while the closure plan outlines the goals and processes of the reclamation planning.

Inherent in Coalspur mine reclamation planning are efforts to maintain the development area’s biodiversity and sustainable ecological conditions. While providing equivalent land capability, there will be changes to the current ratio of uplands to wetlands and in the types of wetlands. Coalspur is proposing to reclaim such that there will be an increase in upland forest ecosystems as opposed to wetlands, and some of the wetlands will be replaced with an end pit lake. Therefore, alternative end land uses, or different areas available for existing end land uses, will be developed as part of the C&R and Closure Plan.

The reclamation plan was developed for the mine by integrating information assessed in the project EIA and considering stakeholder preferences.

The documents used in the preparation of this C&R and Closure Plan are referenced in the applicable sections.

F.3.1 Reclamation Planning for Biodiversity

At the construction and operation stage, there will be a decrease in the number of ecosite phase patches, a decrease in the average ecosite phase patch areas and a decrease in the amount of edge habitat. The Project mainly displaces areas of moderate species biodiversity.

The re-establishment of species and landscape level biodiversity on reclaimed areas will depend on several factors such as terrain design, soil handling procedures, revegetation plans and the establishment of the drainage system. The reclaimed landscape will increasingly resemble pre-development conditions as the landscape matures and evolves.

Coalspur plans to accelerate the time it takes for lands to reach pre-disturbance species diversity characteristics through its reclamation practices. Coalspur has also planned the placement of ecological communities over the reclaimed minesite in an attempt to emulate the landscape diversity of natural analogues in the area.

There are numerous mechanisms that can be used to enhance the biodiversity of the reclaim landscape. These include:

• the direct placement of soil materials; • landform variability and integration; • creating a micro-hummocky surface that enhances moisture by using rough coversoil replacement

techniques to unevenly spread coversoil on the recontoured surfaces; • the use of native plant materials in the revegetation programs; and • enhancing biodiversity through the use of special reclamation procedures during all phases of the

reclamation process.

A detailed management system for monitoring biodiversity will be developed and implemented. Input from regional management plans will be incorporated.



F.3.2 Reclamation Planning for Wildlife

As stated in Section F.2.1.5, one of the primary goals for the reclamation program is the return of wildlife habitat. The mitigations proposed in the impact assessment completed for the wildlife assessment were considered in the reclamation planning for the Project. The wildlife report can be found in CR# 13.

F.3.2.1 Ungulates

Ungulates are often used as umbrella species for reclamation to wildlife habitat because they have large home ranges, require a variety of landform features and vegetation types to fulfill their annual life requirements, and are important prey for carnivores. The provision of the habitat requirements for ungulates fulfills the habitat requirements for an assemblage of other wildlife species.

The target species for the ungulate component of the reclamation program are elk and moose, as the habitat requirements for these species provides for the habitat requirements for a host of other species.

Land reclamation for diverse wildlife habitat is a key wildlife mitigation measure associated with the Project. Some of the mitigation recommendations for wildlife and wildlife habitat reclamation include:

• minimize the overall disturbance footprint through the mine planning process; • establish a variety of vegetation communities consisting of upland grasslands, shrublands,

wetlands, mixed wood forest and coniferous forest; • encourage understory complexity in the reclaimed forests by planting native shrubs such as alder

and willow; • establish a variety of vegetation communities suitable for moose, consisting of mixed wood forest

and wetlands and to encourage structural complexity to the forest: • establish willow species as they are of particular importance to moose; • ensuring that core security areas are provided for wildlife; • where possible vegetation clearing will be planned to avoid the May to July breeding bird season.

If clearing is required during this period, nest surveys will be completed prior to the clearing operations to determine specific requirements to protect the wildlife resource;

• maximize the direct placement of salvaged soil to enhance native plant development; • retain slash and large woody debris in the salvaged soil to provide microsites for native plant and

hide cover and perches for wildlife; • preserving remnant forest patches within the development areas where feasible to provide habitat,

habitat connectivity and hide cover for wildlife species; and • limit sight lines by maintaining mature forest stands as buffers between roads and reclamation

areas.

Where feasible these mitigations have been incorporated in the conceptual reclamation planning for the Project.

F.3.2.2 Carnivores

Carnivores are very important indicators of the status of ecosystem development. The objectives of the assessment were guided by the Final Terms of Reference issued by AEW.

Valued Environmental Components (VECs) are used to focus impact assessment efforts. The following five carnivore VEC’s were identified for the Project:



• grizzly bear; • marten; • fisher; • lynx; • wolf;

Additional information for the selection of the VEC’s is provided in CR# 13.

Project specific mitigations provided by the impact assessments that are targeted for carnivore species have been incorporated into the reclamation planning. Targeted mitigations include:

• minimize the overall disturbance footprint through the mine planning process; • retaining slash and large woody debris in the replaced soil landscape; • establish mixed wood forest stands; • establish high density coniferous tree stands; • providing understory complexity in the reclaimed forests by planting native shrubs such as alder

and willow to provide security cover for the carnivores and their prey; • plant native shrubs early in the reclamation process to initiate hiding cover; • preserve remnant forest patches in the development areas to provide habitat, habitat connectivity

and hide cover for wildlife species; • maximize the amount of ungulate habitat; and • limit sight lines by maintaining mature forest stands or by planting high density coniferous stands

to act as buffers between roads, project disturbance boundaries and the reclaimed mine areas.

These have been incorporated in the conceptual reclamation planning for the Project.

F.3.2.3 Amphibians

The Long-toed Salamander was identified as the amphibian VEC during the stakeholder consultation process undertaken by Coalspur. Long-toed salamanders are listed as Sensitive in Alberta. The sensitive category is defined as “Any species that is not at risk of extinction or extirpation but may require special attention or protection to prevent it from becoming at risk”. The Long-toed Salamander is further identified as a “Species of Special Concern" in Alberta. A species of special concern is a species with characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.

Refer to Appendix 3 of CR# 13 for the detailed report prepared by Bighorn Wildlife Technologies Ltd.

Two ponds known to be used by long-toed salamanders are located within the Vista Coal Project footprint and will be impacted by mining. Two additional ponds used by long-toed salamanders are located within the mine permit boundary. The loss of the two ponds and associated upland habitat may reduce adult migration during the breeding season to the nearby ponds within the permit area. There is a potential that additional inhabited ponds may be identified during the monitoring program that has been scheduled for 2012.

A mitigation strategy is being developed for the long-toed salamander. Salamanders require ponds that do not have a resident fish population and are adjacent to upland habitat.

The mitigation measures relevant to the reclamation planning are:



• conduct monitoring in 2012 to identify other habitable ponds and identify habitat requirements and constraints;

• construction of trial breeding ponds; • reclamation of upland habitat adjacent to reconstructed breeding ponds; and • avoid habitat destruction and alteration.

Coalspur is planning to retain some of the settling ponds at mine closure. The settling ponds that are adjacent to upland habitat will be evaluated for habitat suitability and may be developed as salamander habitat. The results of the 2012 monitoring program may also provide additional information that will be used in the planning.

F.3.2.4 Mineral Licks

Mineral licks provide ungulates with supplemental sources of sodium that are particularly beneficial to offset increasing demands during lactation and with carbonates to help stabilize rumen pH after forage changes in spring. Supplemental sources of magnesium are also actively sought by ungulates when high levels of dietary potassium affect absorption (Pool et al. 2010; Ayotte et al. 2006). Mineral licks are considered an important habitat feature for wildlife and they have been considered in the reclamation plan.

Observations at regional coal mines indicate that springs develop along the rock dump toes. Groundwater flowing under the rock dump and rainwater percolating through the dumps emerge at the toe of the dump as seeps. While percolating through the dump the water dissolve minerals contained in the broken rock. The rock material found in the overburden contains salts and minerals needed by wildlife, and when brought to the surface will likely result in the development of mineral licks.

It has been observed that the rock dump toe springs are used by wildlife. It is anticipated that the development of the external rock dumps will result in the establishment of toe springs at the Project and that they will be used by wildlife as a source of minerals.

F.3.3 Reclamation Planning for Vegetation

The goal of the Project revegetation program is to achieve a land capability that is equivalent to what existed prior to disturbance. Coalspur intends to establish self-sustaining plant communities that are equivalent to the native plant communities that occur in the area.

Since soil nutrient, moisture regime, slope, aspect, and slope position of specific points within the mine footprint will not be the same as baseline conditions, nearby natural analogues will be used to guide the successional development of suitable plant communities across the reclaimed areas rather than the restoration of what existed at baseline conditions.

To achieve the equivalent land capability Coalspur will:

• re-establish self-sustaining plant communities;

• emulate, over time, naturally occurring plant communities that occur in the area; • attempt to accelerate reclaimed lands into early seral stage plant communities reflective of other

natural disturbance events of the Foothills Natural Region; • revegetate areas to meet end land use goals of future coniferous timber production, wildlife

habitat, watershed protection, fisheries habitat and recreation;



• increase presence of deciduous and mixedwood forest to provide ungulate habitat; • increase the complexity of the reclaimed revegetation strata by planting native shrubs with the

tree species to encourage ungulate use; • include traditional use plants (i.e., green alder, aspen, lodgepole pine, balsam poplar, white and

black spruce, low-bush cranberry, northern black currant, red-osier dogwood, mountain-ash, and rose) into revegetation;

• integrate reclaimed vegetation communities into the existing landscape patterns; • encourage wildlife use of reclaimed areas by providing species specific habitat (elk and moose); • reduce sight lines and provide cover in key locations; and • prevent the increase of weed species and invasive populations while allowing the ingress of

suitable native species.

F.3.4 Conservation Program

Prior to the commencement of mining operations the conservation of the timber and soil resources will be completed. Prior to soil disturbance the construction of the surface water management systems will be completed.

F.3.4.1 Vegetation Clearing

Development of the mine will require the clearing of the existing vegetation from the development footprint. The proposed mine footprint has been developed recognizing Coalspur’s commitment to minimizing the amount of disturbance that is required for the development of the Project. There may be opportunities to reduce the mine disturbance area through the adaptive management program at the mine.

It is estimated that full development of the Project will disturb approximately 2649 ha. The progression of clearing for the first 10 years of mine development is shown in Figure F.1.3.3.

All merchantable timber will be hauled to West Fraser in Hinton. Coalspur is currently negotiating the details with West Fraser.

Non merchantable timber and slash materials will be left on the surface and will be incorporated into the soil during salvage operations. If there are excessive volumes of timber harvest residue that cannot be incorporated in the soil without degrading the soil quality it will be separated and windrowed. Coarse woody debris retained in the salvaged soil will provide value for the establishment of native plant species as well as providing wildlife habitat values such as perching and hide cover.

In areas where there will be minimal soil disturbance, such as powerline rights of way, the remaining vegetation may be mulched after the merchantable timber has been removed. Mulching will be completed to the requirements of ASRD Directive 2009-1 which requires a maximum mulch depth of 5cm. (ASRD 2009)

F.3.4.2 Soil Conservation Program

The goal of the soil conservation program is to ensure sufficient volumes of suitable reclamation coversoil material that will support the self-sustaining vegetation communities required to achieve the planned end land uses.

Soil surveys of the Project area were conducted at scales of 1:10,000 and 1:5,000 to identify and classify the surficial soils within the development area. Surface soil characteristics were identified and rated for



reclamation suitability as Good, Fair, or Poor based on such criteria as depth, stoniness, reaction (pH), and organic matter content. Details of the soil survey and soil suitability maps are included in CR# 9.

The soil conservation program is based on relevant conditions provided in the latest EPEA Approval issued to a regional coal mine. The Coal Valley Mine EPEA Approval (No. 11066-02-00) issued in November 2010, contained the following definitions relating to soil conservation:

(aaa) "surface soil" means any of the following: (i) Upland surface soil; or (ii) organic soil horizons as defined in the Canadian System of Soil Classification, 3rd Edition, 1998;

(bbb) "suitable overburden" means overburden, spoil or regolith that meets the criteria of good, fair or

poor subsoil, with electrical conductivity less than 5 dS/m, sodium adsorption ratio less than 8, and pH less than 8;

(fff) "upland soil" means soils developed on mineral parent material under forest in locations with

imperfect drainage or drier, typically including LFH and A, B, and C horizons; (ggg) "upland surface soil" means a stratum salvaged from an upland soil that includes the LFH, A

horizon and in some cases part or all of the B horizon; The Coal Valley Mine approval also contained the following conditions relating to soil conservation: 3.2.1 The approval holder shall salvage all upland surface soil from all land to be disturbed to meet

the reclamation objectives specified in PART 6 of this approval, unless otherwise authorized in writing by the Director.

3.2.2 The approval holder shall salvage sufficient surface organic soil to meet the reclamation

objectives in Part 6, unless otherwise authorized in writing by the Director. 3.2.3 The approval holder shall salvage sufficient suitable overburden from land to be disturbed to

meet the reclamation objectives specified in PART 6 of this approval, unless otherwise authorized in writing by the Director.

3.2.3.1 Where there is insufficient suitable overburden the approval holder may salvage overburden that

meets the criteria of electrical conductivity less than 8 dS/m, sodium adsorption ratio less than 12, and pH less than or equal to 9."

3.2.5 The approval holder shall conduct direct placement of salvaged surface soil on contoured

portions of the disturbed land whenever possible.

It is anticipated that similar conditions will be included in the EPEA Approval for the Project, so these requirements have been incorporated in the soil conservation planning.

The mine development plan has identified approximately 2078 ha of land that will require soil salvage. Soil salvage operations will be guided by trained reclamation personnel that will ensure that salvaged soil quality is maintained.

Sufficient soils will be salvaged to meet the requirements of the reclamation plan with some additional volume for contingency. There are limitations to the volumes of soils that can be salvaged. Wet soils



and soils located on slopes steeper than 20o may have limitations on salvagability due to access and safety restrictions.

The soil salvage practices planned by Coalspur will provide a good quality coversoil with sufficient volume for the soil replacement requirements of the reclamation plan while providing a suitable seed bed for the revegetation program. Coalspur has identified a shortfall in the volume of uplands soils required for replacement on the planned upland landforms.

Table F.3.4.1 provides the estimated volume of surface soil availability.

Table F.3.4.1 Available Soil Salvage Volumes

Upland soil (A horizon) 2,473,409

Upper subsoil (B horizon) 5,294.837

Organic soil 8,119,972

Upland Soils

Coalspur will salvage all upland surface soils and part of the upper subsoil (B horizon) as per the above referenced definitions and conditions. The average depth of the A horizon has been determined to be 10-12 cm. The LFH horizon will be salvaged with the A horizon but has not been included in the volume calculations. The B horizon averages 20 cm in depth. Coalspur is evaluating salvaging some or all of the B horizon soils with the A horizon soil materials, in a single lift. Preliminary planning indicates that in order to provide sufficient volumes of upland surface soil for the reclamation program Coalspur will be required to salvage of all of the A horizon and some or all of the upper B horizon.

Upland surface soil salvage operations will be completed by typical earth moving equipment. Dozers and backhoes will collect the soil into windrows and piles. The collected soils will be loaded into haul trucks and will be either direct placed on recontoured areas or placed into stockpile. The direct placement of upland surface soil materials onto recontoured areas is the preferred method of soil replacement and Coalspur will optimize the direct placement of upland soils on recontoured areas.

Soil stockpiles will be constructed to store the upland soils that cannot be direct placed. The stockpiles will be constructed with stable foundations to ensure easy retrieval and will be vegetated to minimize the potential for erosion.

Organic Soils

There are two facets to the use of organic soils in the Project reclamation plan; the use of organic soils in wetland reclamation and addressing the shortfall in the volume of upland surface soils used for reclamation.

Coalspur will salvage sufficient organic soils to reclaim areas that are planned for wetland reclamation. Coalspur is planning to construct 128 ha of wetlands on the Project. Coalspur is also planning to reclaim some of the settling ponds as constructed wetlands. Coalspur will also place organic soils on the littoral areas of the end pit lake.



In order to address the shortfall of upland soils for replacement on upland landforms, Coalspur is evaluating the following procedures:

• salvage all accessible transitional soils (organic horizon less than 40 cm); and • salvage sufficient volumes of organic soils to create a peat-mineral soil mix for the upland soil

replacement areas.

There has been a considerable body of information generated in the oil sands region regarding the use of transitional soils and of the use of peat-mineral soil mixtures in reclamation. Coalspur will draw on this body of information to formulate a peat-mineral soil replacement plan for the Project. In the oil sands region the stripping ratio for the peat to mineral mix can range from 50:50 to 70:30 (MacKenzie, 2012). Coalspur will determine the optimum ratio for the reclamation objectives of the Project.

There is a total of 8.1 million m3 of organic soils available for salvage. Organic materials in excess of the requirements for the reclamation plan will be disposed with the overburden materials. Organic soil salvage operations will be completed by typical earth moving equipment. Dozers and backhoes will collect the soil into windrows and piles. Underlying mineral soil with be salvaged with the organic soil when salvaging for a peat-mineral soil mixture.

The collected soils will be loaded into haul trucks and will be either direct placed on recontoured areas or placed into stockpile. The direct placement of organic soil materials onto recontoured areas is the preferred method of soil replacement and Coalspur will optimize the direct placement of organic soils.

Soil stockpiles will be constructed to store the organic soils that cannot be direct placed. The stockpiles will be constructed with stable foundations to ensure easy retrieval and will be vegetated to minimize the potential for erosion.

Refer to Section 3.6.2 for details of the soil replacement planning for the Project.

F.3.4.3 Overburden

The presence of in situ overburden that has characteristics that would indicate an “unsuitable” rating has been confirmed in the Project development area. Please refer to CR# 9 for details on the overburden characteristics.

If this material proves to be rated as unsuitable in the reclaimed landscape (i.e. after handling, placement and subsequent weathering), Coalspur has identified two methods to manage the material. During the mining process Coalspur is planning to identify unsuitable overburden materials and through the mine planning process and attempt to place the unsuitable overburden at depth in the waste rock dumps and backfill areas.

The second method will be applied after the completion of the recontouring operations. Coalspur will sample the recontoured land surface prior to soil replacement to determine if the top one metre of recontoured spoil meets the overburden suitability criteria. On those areas of the recontoured spoil surface that does not meet the suitability criteria, Coalspur will place sufficient material to ensure that, with coversoil placement an adequate depth of the rooting zone is provided. This will be determined in subsequent discussion with AEW and SRD. Coalspur will ensure that sufficient quantities of suitable overburden are available for the soil replacement program by either identifying borrow sites, or by stockpiling or direct placing suitable overburden as it is mined.



It is not possible, at this time, to accurately predict the volume of suitable overburden that will be required for the reclamation of the disturbed areas of the mine development.

F.3.6 Mine Reclamation

The reclamation program for the first 10 year approval period is shown on Figures F.1.3.1 to F.1.3.3. Annual progression maps are provided for years 1 (2014), year 5 (2019) and year 10 (2024). The year by year depiction of the annual development and reclamation of the mine is provided in Section C.1 (Figures C.1.4.1 to C.1.4.18).

The program will include the following major activities:

• final grading and recontouring; • coversoil replacement; and • revegetation.

Coalspur will undertake a progressive final grading and recontouring program to prepare areas for the next reclamation step, coversoil replacement.

F.3.6.1 Final Grading and Recontouring

Recontouring operations will be undertaken progressively as each mining phase is completed. Dozers will be used to recontour all disturbed areas. The dozers push material from the crest to the toe (top to bottom); this process achieves the necessary slope reduction and at the same time, breaks down the coarse rock overburden into finer material.

There are three slope classes that will be included in the recontouring operations:

• the pit highwall will be recontoured to a maximum slope of 27o (2:1); • the fine refuse settling pond dike will be constructed to maximum slope of 18o (3:1); and • all other areas, including the waste rock dumps, will be recontoured to a maximum slope of 23o

(2.5:1).

The recontouring of mining areas will be completed to provide a reclaimed topography with various slopes and aspects that are valuable for the revegetation and wildlife habitat components of the reclamation program. Activities such as design dumping will be completed on the dump tops to provide an undulating surface. Wetlands will be constructed at the base of shallow slopes by the creation of larger depressional areas that are capable of holding water for most of the year. Some of the settling ponds will be recontoured to provide small waterbodies and constructed wetlands. The reclamation landforms will be integrated with the surrounding undisturbed landscape as much as possible. Final closure landscapes are further discussed in Section F.4.

F.3.6.2 Soil Replacement Plan

Coversoil replacement operations will commence after recontouring and final grading is completed. Coversoil will be replaced on all reclaimed lands which are not designated as an end pit lake. Those areas in which the original soil profile was not disturbed will not require additional soil placement.

The advantages of a rough soil surface are well documented (Knapik, 1995). A rough soil surface provides a variety of values for revegetation and wildlife reclamation planning. In order to provide a rough soil surface Coalspur will replace the salvaged upland soils at a 25 cm minimum average depth



As stated in Section 3.5.2, Coalspur has identified a shortfall in the volume of upland surface soil that is required for replacement on upland landforms. Coalspur will be evaluating the use of peat-mineral mixtures. The work in the oil sands regions has identified the ratio of peat to mineral soils is very site and material dependent (MacKenzie, 2012). Coalspur will develop the optimum ratio (or ratios) for use on the planned land use objectives at the Project

The following preliminary soil replacement prescriptions are provided for the soil replacement plan:

• Upland soils: 20-30 cm replacement depth; Upland areas using salvaged upland surface soils. Rough soil surface replacement depth will range from 15-45 cm.

• Organic-mineral mix: 30-50 cm replacement depth; • Upland areas using salvaged peat-mineral soil mix. • The peat-mineral ratio is 50:50.

• Organic soils: 15 cm replacement depths; • areas to be reclaimed as wetlands • lake littoral zones will have organic soils replaced

• no soil replacement required. • will occur in the deeper lake areas • areas that the soil profile was not disturbed

The soil replacement planning has identified 2203.1 ha requiring upland surface soil replacement and 135.3 ha requiring organic soil replacement. Table F.3.6.1 details the soil replacement volume for the preliminary soil replacement planning. The replacement depth, replacement areas and replacement volumes in the table are provided as an example only as the soil replacement planning is at a very early stage of development.

Table F.3.6.1 Preliminary Soil Replacement Volumes

Soil Type Replacement depth (cm) * Area Volume

(m3)

Upland surface soil 25 1678.8 4,196,909

Peat-mineral mix 40 524.3 786,504

Organic 15 130.5 237,950

Organic 100 5.0 50,000

Total 2203.1 5,271,363

* The replacement depths, areas and volumes are provided for presentation purposes only

As part of the progressive reclamation program, the direct placement of salvaged coversoil will be completed on as much of the recontoured areas as possible. The geology of the coal bearing strata and the required mine plan for the development of the Project makes the scheduling of direct placement of soil materials difficult to achieve. Stockpiled soil material will be used to reclaim areas on the majority of the disturbance area.



The soils in stockpile will be loaded on trucks and transported to the replacement areas. Dozers will be used to spread the cover soil at the prescribed depths.

The preferred method of coversoil placement is to dump it with minimal levelling or bulldozing. This practice results in a rough soil surface with enhanced micro-relief. The average depth of the replaced soil will be 25 cm but will vary from 15 cm to about 45 cm. Woody slash, stumps, seeds, and roots, provide significant surface cover, roughness, and source of native plant propagules. Knapik (1995) reported that this method has several advantages over conventional "dump & level" methods:

• the soil is not as dense, but is allowed to settle. This produces a suitable soil bulk density for rooting, with water infiltration and reduced run-off/erosion;

• the varied relief provides more effective shelter from wind, collects and holds snow during chinook wind events, and utilizes more snow melt moisture than levelled coversoil;

• the slash and debris stay on top to provide cover; • this technique produces numerous microsites for planting tree seedlings and encourages invasion

which produces diversity and opportunity for native species establishment; • the median thickness provides sufficient water holding capacity on those sites where soil depth

may be a limiting factor; and • surface temperatures are lower on hot summer days due to roughness and debris cover.

This soil spreading practice can be achieved on various surfaces ranging from level to steep areas (to 27o), or on concave land surfaces.

F.3.6.3 Revegetation Plan

Coalspur has identified ten ecological units occurring over the minesite, based on ecosite phases present in the Upper Foothills (Table F.3.6.2). Many of the ecological units can be further broken down, based primarily on moisture (dry versus moist). Beckingham and Archibald’s (1996) ecosites do not conform exactly to the ecological units, for example ecosite C can be broken into open coniferous, deciduous, and mixedwood ecological units. However, the ecological units do conform to ecosite phases. Additional ecosite phases for grassland and shrubland have come from Willoughby (2007).

Beckingham and Archibald (1996) do not provide ecosite phases for non-vegetated ecological units, the codes provided in Table F.3.6.2 for these ecological units comes from the Alberta Vegetation Inventory (Alberta Sustainable Resource Development 2005). The Alberta Wetland Inventory wetland types have also been provided in Table F.3.5.2 for the wetland ecological unit.

Table F.3.6.2 Correlation of Pre-Mining Ecosite Phases to Reclaimed Ecological Units

Ecosite Phase Ecological Unit

GRASSLAND Pre-mine Ecosite: Reclaimed ecological Unit

a1, ff1 upland g2 riparian SHRUBLAND

ff2 upland



Table F.3.6.2 Correlation of Pre-Mining Ecosite Phases to Reclaimed Ecological Units

Ecosite Phase Ecological Unit

g1 riparian CONIFEROUS, CLOSED FOREST

d1 dry e1, e3, e4, f1, f4, f5 moist

CONIFEROUS, OPEN FOREST b1, c1 dry

c4 moist MIXEDWOOD FOREST

c3, e2, f3 moist DECIDUOUS FOREST

c2, f2, f6 moist WETLAND

h1, i1, j1 (STNN)

Wetlands

Forested Shrubby Grassy

k1 (BTNN) k2

l1, m1 (FTNN) l2, m2 (FONS) l3, m3 (FONG)

(MONG) (AII, AIH, ASR, CIP, CIW, CL (e.g.,

roads, pipelines)) ANTHROPOGENIC

(NMS) BARE GROUND, NATURAL (NWL, NWR) OPEN WATER

Table F.3.6.3 provides the plant species that could be used for revegetation of each of the seven vegetated ecological units. The topography, aspect and the ecosite the reclaimed ecological unit is expected to represent in the medium to long-term is provided. It is anticipated that the reclamation program will provide the conditions that will guide the reclaimed ecological unit on the desired trajectory.

The reclaimed ecological units that incorporate slope, aspect, and the plants/plant materials should be similar to the ecosites provided in Table F.3.6.2. Figure F.3.6.1 depicts the conceptual plan for reclaimed ecological units across the reclaimed minesite at year 10.



Table F.3.6.3 Target Species of Reclaimed Ecological Communities Reclaimed

Ecological Unit Climactic Zone Ecosite Expected Trajectory Setting

Topographic Position Aspect Naturally Occurring Plant Specie(s)

to be encouraged Specie(s) to be established –

planting and natural recovery GRASSLANDS

upland crest to lower slope

primarily, south, but

also east and west

A

Shrubs (low cover, for structural diversity) (a1: prickly rose) (ff1: shrubby cinquefoil, beaked willow) Grasses hairy wild rye, slender wheat grass

Shrubs (low cover, for structural diversity) mountain ash, willow, shrubby cinquefoil, rose Forbs and Grasses seed mix 1, 2

riparian level, midslope level, south G Forbs and Grasses veiny meadow rue, common yarrow, tufted hair grass

Forbs and Grasses seed mix 3, 4

SHRUBLANDS

upland level and lower slope all A

Shrubs bog birch, willow Forbs and Grasses common fireweed, slender wheat grass

Shrubs willow, shrubby cinquefoil Forbs and Grasses seed mix 1, 2

riparian level and mid to lower slope level G Shrubs

willow, dwarf birch

Shrubs willow Forbs and Grasses seed mix 3

CONIFEROUS, CLOSED FOREST

dry level, crest,

upper to mid-slope

level, north, east, south D Shrubs

Labrador tea, blueberry

Trees lodgepole pine, white and black spruce Shrubs Forbs and Grasses seed mix 1, 2

moist midslope all aspects E

Shrubs green alder, Labrador tea Forbs and Grasses hairy wild rye, marsh reed grass

Trees lodgepole pine, white and black spruce Shrubs Forbs and Grasses seed mix 3







planting and natural recovery CONIFEROUS, OPEN FOREST

dry midslope level and south B

Shrubs Labrador tea, green alder Forbs and Grasses hairy wild rye

Trees lodgepole pine Shrubs Forbs and Grasses seed mix 1, 2

moist midslope west C

Shrubs Canada buffalo-berry Forbs and Grasses hairy wild rye

Trees white spruce Shrubs Forbs and Grasses seed mix 3

MIXEDWOOD FOREST

moist mid- to lower-slope

south, east north E + C

Shrubs Canada buffalo berry, green alder, willow, low-bush cranberry Forbs and Grasses hairy wild rye

Trees Aspen, balsam poplar, white spruce, lodgepole pine Shrubs Forbs and Grasses seed mix 3

DECIDUOUS FOREST

moist mid slope south, east E + C

Trees Aspen, balsam poplar Shrubs willow Forbs and Grasses common fireweed, hairy wild rye, wild vetch

Trees Aspen, balsam poplar Shrubs Forbs and Grasses seed mix 3

WETLAND Forested wetland level and mid

slope level and north

H

Trees Black spruce, lodgepole pine

Trees Black spruce, lodgepole pine Shrubs Forbs and grasses seed mix 4

Shrubby wetlands Lower slope All aspects K, L Shrubs Shrubs







planting and natural recovery and level Dwarf birch, willow, Labrador tea Forbs and grasses

seed mix 4 Grassy Wetlands level All aspects K Forbs and Grasses

Forbs and grasses seed mix 4



F.3.6.3.1 Traditional Use Species

Discussions with Aboriginal groups identified that one of the primary concerns was the impact to medicinal, ceremonial, and food plants in the project area. A total 86 species or classes of plant and fungi have been identified in the Project area having cultural importance to Aboriginal groups. Refer to CR#11 for a detailed list of traditionally important plants

Aboriginal groups have expressed that Coalspur needs to take steps to ensure that native plant species are included in reclamation plans.

Coalspur will undertake further consultation with the Aboriginal groups to initiate research and development to determine the efficacy of the use of the identified native plant species in the reclamation program.

F.3.6.3.2 Revegetation Techniques

The primary criteria for the selection of revegetation techniques are:

• that they meet reclamation goals; • are manageable to implement over the spatial scale to which they will be applied; • they meet AEW reclamation standards; and • have manageable on-going maintenance requirements.

Lands will be progressively reclaimed and adaptive management techniques will be incorporated when selecting the appropriate revegetation techniques.

One of the goals of the revegetation program is to reduce erosion and sedimentation in the watershed. Coalspur plans to assess the erosion potential in advance of selecting revegetation approach.

Typically in moderate to high erosion risk areas, a grass-legume cover is established immediately after soil placement to control erosion. One to four years after the grass-legume mix is seeded, woody species establishment commences with the planting of tree and shrub seedlings. Fertilizer is applied at the time of seeding to increase vegetative growth.

In low erosion risk areas, seed application will be lowered and the planting of shrub and trees and transplantation of plant and plant materials will be done at the same time. Coalspur will lower the application rate, and reduce fertilizer usage.

Revegetation techniques and equipment typically include:

• broadcast seeding and fertilizing using a range of equipment from hand-held seeders to aerial means;

• the direct placement of salvaged soil on recontoured areas, where possible; • collection of local tree/shrub seed and cuttings; • contracted greenhouse production of quality tree and shrub seedlings, produced from seed or

cuttings which are collected from native (genetically local) plants; • individual tree and shrub fertilization at the time of planting; and • rough soil surface and incorporating LFH and woody debris during the final stages of spoil dump

construction to create microsites.



The advantages of the direct placement of soils are well documented as it utilizes the plant propagules contained in the soil to aid in the establishment of native vegetation. In order to enhance ecosite development, Coalspur will maximize the direct placement of salvaged soils. The scheduling of direct placement opportunities is limited by the need to have recontoured lands ready for soil replacement in proximity to soil salvage areas and in the case of the Project by the mine plan.

Risks and uncertainties involved with revegetation include:

• availability of native and agronomic seed; • impact of browsing on newly established deciduous species; and • extreme weather events.

F.3.6.3.3 Revegetation Prescriptions

Natural Recovery

Natural recovery can be an effective means to encourage presence of native species and improve biodiversity and is most appropriate for revegetation of linear corridors or disturbed lands within approximately 25 m of a desired plant community. If there is concern of erosion, erosion control materials, for example silt fences and hay bales, can be placed strategically over bare ground to limit erosion potential. Another method would be plant an annual cover crop such as annual ryegrass.

Seeding

Seeding is an effective means of increasing vegetated ground cover at a variety of spatial scales. The primary method for the application of seed will be aerial broadcasting. This method has been proven to be the most cost effective delivery system on larger areas of reclaimed land. In small areas a broadcaster manual or mounted on an ATV may be used. Species used in seeding and planting are limited by cost, availability, and growth attributes. This technique is likely to represent the major revegetation activity of Coalspur.

Table F.3.6.4 provides the conceptual seed mixes and seeding rates proposed for the Project. Seed species may be substituted mixes dependent on species availability.

Table F.3.6.4 Seed Mixes 1. Direct placement (50 kg/ha, no fertilizer) % by wt annual ryegrass 65 tufted hairgrass 8 slender wheatgrass 25 ticklegrass 2 100 2. Forest Mix mesic or drier (60-70 kg/ha) American vetch 2 Dutch white clover 8 annual ryegrass 40 tufted hairgrass 6



Table F.3.6.4 Seed Mixes slender wheatgrass 15 ticklegrass 2 rough fescue 3 alpine bluegrass 8 mountain brome 7 northern wheatgrass 5 awned wheatgrass 4 100 3. Forest Mix subhygric or wetter (60-70 kg/ha) tufted wheatgrass 8 Canada milkvetch 2 dutch white clover 6 fowl bluegrass 4 ticklegrass 2 sloughgrass 4 annual ryegrass 40 awned wheatgrass 7 slender wheatgrass 20 streambank wheatgrass 7 100 4. Steep, watercourse sensitive (70-80 kg/ha) Dutch white clover 7 alpine bluegrass 5 slender wheatgrass 29 annual ryegrass 45 awned wheatgrass 6 Boreal creeping red fescue 8 100

The seed mixes will continue to be modified as new species (native and agronomic) are developed and through the mine adaptive management and continuous improvement processes.

During the reclamation process, Coalspur will inspect the lands being reclaimed and evaluate the erosion potential. If the potential for erosion is low there may be opportunities to limit the seeding program or the seeding rate. The reduction in seeded species should allow natural succession to aid in the revegetation of the site.

After seeding has been completed and the soils are demonstrated to be stable, tree/shrub planting is completed.



Fertilization

The typical procedure is to fertilize all replaced soils during the initial revegetation program. The quick establishment of a vegetative cover is one of the primary tools used at the mine to protect the soils resource from erosion. Fertilization is used to ensure that the initial vegetative cover is established as quickly as possible. Fertilizer will not be used on direct placed soils or organic soils used in wetland reclamation.

The fertilizer commonly used by regional mines is a blend of ammonium phosphate (27-27-0) with an application rate of approximately 180 kg/ha. Coalspur will use advice from the seed supplier for the type of fertilizer and application rates for the seed mixes being used. The application rate is one that has been historically used at regional coal mines with good results.

It is recognized that the use of fertilizer can slow the ingress of native species by promoting the establishment of the agronomic species in the seed mix. It is anticipated that more emphasis will be put on tailoring the fertilization process to the specific needs of the revegetation program. The slope and aspect of the revegetation areas coupled with an assessment of the erosion potential will be used to assist in the determination of the fertilizer requirements.

Woody Species

Tree and shrub plantings will typically be undertaken two to four years after initial revegetation. By this time, the grass-legume cover has lost its nurse crop species, leaving opportunities for less aggressive plants to establish. A preliminary trees and shrub species selection is provided in Table F.3.6.5.

Table F.3.6.5 Native Woody Plant Species for Reclamation

Coniferous Deciduous White spruce (Picea glauca) Trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia)

Balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) Dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa)

Green alder (Alnus crispa) Prickly rose (Rosa acicularis) Mountain Ash (Sorbus scopulina) Greyleaf willow (Salix glauca) Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) Beaked willow (S. bebbiana) Flat-leaved willow (S. planifolia) Pussy willow (S. discolor) Buffalo-berry (Shepherdia canadensis) This list includes some but not all of those woody species which will regenerate naturally on the Project reclaimed areas, particularly on directly placed soil.

All woody plants used in the program will be grown from locally collected seed or cuttings. Coniferous tree planting densities will be determined by the planned end land use. Shrubs will be interplanted with tree species. Planting will be completed by professional tree planters and will typically occur in the spring to provide a full growing season for the trees to develop a root structure.



Plant and Plant Material Transplantation

Transplanting plants and propagules into recently reclaimed areas can assist in increasing the presence of naturally occurring vegetation and/or accelerating a reclaimed areas rate of increasing natural species cover. Examples of transplantation include:

• collection of local tree/shrub seed and cuttings; • collection of root cuttings; • LFH plugs of lowland and upland areas to preserve naturally occurring plants and propagules.

LFH plugs can be placed in clusters to act as propagule sources to adjacent areas to improve biodiversity; and

• transplanting individual or small clusters of grass, forb, shrubs, seedlings, and saplings to appropriate reclaimed ecological units. This practice can be categorised as a localised and strategic activity to improve biodiversity, structural diversity, and age distribution. This includes the relocation of rare species found within the mine footprint (CR#12, Figure 4-7), although rare plants will be transplanted to nearby suitable habitat, rather than onto the reclaimed landscape.

Rare or culturally valued plants could be transplanted to suitable positions in the reclaimed landscape, if there is a reasonable expectation that relocation will be successful; however, no warranty can be made of persistence of the species after relocation.

Cuttings or seed from local sources may also be used to propagate seedlings at a tree nursery for future outplanting. Planting will be completed by professional tree planters and will occur in the spring to provide a full growing season for the trees to develop a root structure.

Weed Control

Weed management is conducted in accordance with the Weed Control Act. Coalspur environmental personnel will be trained in weed identification and will complete visual inspections of both reclamation and active mining areas for the occurrence of noxious weeds. All weed occurrences are controlled on an 'as needed' basis. Mechanical treatment and herbicide application are utilized for control. Control methods will be dependent upon factors such as:

• the type of weed; • the scale of the weed problem; and • the location of the weed problem.

Control methods that require the application of an herbicide will be completed by a licensed weed control specialist.

F.3.7 Targets and Indicators

Table F.3.7.1 presents the targets and indicators Coalspur will use to assess revegetation success.



Table F.3.7.1 Criteria, Indicators and Targets of Successful Reclamation at time of Certification

Criteria: 1. Ecosystem diversity - conserve ecosystem diversity at the landscape level by minimizing disturbance to existing communities and by reclaiming communities that naturally occur in the area.

2. Species diversity - conserve species diversity at the landscape level, ensuring that functional habitats are re-established in the reclaimed landscapes and that disturbance to existing habitats is minimized.

3. Genetic diversity - conserve genetic diversity within local populations within the range of natural variability. 5. Ecosystem resilience and productivity - Conserve ecosystem resilience by minimizing disturbance to communities and by reclaiming communities to equivalent pre-disturbance capability.

Indicator Target

Species diversity Increasing trend in locally native species Vertical structure Increasing trend in all communities except grasslands Downed woody debris Clumped and scattered distribution Native species presence and trends All woody species are locally native; herbaceous

species are increasing trend towards native composition

Woody species density and trend in height growth All woody species are locally native; densities are stable or increasing and increasing trend in height growth at similar level to baseline

Ground cover (erosion control) No active erosion; ground cover is stable or increasing Vegetation community diversity Similar to commitments in approved plan Presence of noxious weeds No prohibited noxious weeds are present Presence of plant species favoured by targeted wildlife species

Presence as per commitment in approved plan

Availability of favoured plant species in safe habitats Presence as per commitment in approved plan Habitat availability for targeted species (e.g. grizzly bear, deer, elk, long-toed salamander)


Connectivity between reclaimed communities and adjacent communities

Vegetation communities established on reclaimed lands provide an increasingly effective connection with adjacent communities in terms of safe wildlife movement

Presence of undisturbed islands of forest cover within the reclaimed footprint


F.3.8 Maintenance

Coalspur will undertake maintenance activities such as in-fill planting of areas with selected species to increase biodiversity, structural diversity, and stocking requirements.

F.3.9 Research and Monitoring

Coalspur will have an extensive monitoring and research program involving a wide range of environmental values including water quality, fisheries, soils, wildlife and revegetation. The following sections summarizes the mine’s research and monitoring initiatives as they relate to land reclamation.



Coalspur is planning to be an active participant in reclamation research programs that are carried out in the region. These programs are generally joint efforts by the coal mine operators, regulatory agencies, academia and consulting research partners. Research is focused on identifying and resolving issues associated with mine development and reclamation. The research programs will continue to build on the regional successes made in these areas.

Coalspur will participate in research opportunities that will assist in the improvement of the reclamation programs that will be implemented at the Project.

F.3.9.1 Reclamation Research and Monitoring Program (RRMP)

Coalspur’s RRMP is directed towards studying the soils and vegetation resources that are essential to the attainment of the end land use objectives.

Objectives of the RRMP are to:

• Assess operational and experimental techniques of soil handling and vegetation establishment against the achievement of stated end land use objectives;

• Provide opportunities for comparison with “baseline” or “accepted target” soil and vegetation characteristics in terms of productivity, species composition, capability, and biodiversity;

• Identify trends or changes in soil and vegetation characteristics on reclaimed lands over time; and • Assess land capability on reclaimed sites as part of the documentation needed in preparation for

reclamation certification.

Large-scale mining and reclamation have been conducted in the region since the 1970’s and have resulted in a wide range of demonstrations, monitoring results and research programs. There is a broad range of literature covering reclamation practices and research. Coalspur will use these research outcomes as the starting point for the research program undertaken by the mine.

A list of selected references includes:

• Knapik, L. J., Rosentreter, R.L. 1999. Characteristics and Quality of Minesoil Profiles and Minesoil Landscapes at the Coal Valley Mine. Pedocan Land Evaluation Ltd.

• Fedkenhaur, Knapik and Walker, 1987 (RRTAC). Minesoil and landscape reclamation of the coal mines in Alberta’s mountains and foothills;

• ARC (Macyk & Widtman), 1993. Soil depth replacement for tree establishment in surface mined areas (Eastern Slopes Region);

• Lesko, Etter and Dillon, 1975 (Environment Canada). Species selection, seedling establishment and early growth on coal mine spoil at Luscar, Alberta;

• Horstmann & Bachmann, 1975 (Western Canada Erosion Control Ltd.). A study of initial revegetation activities at Luscar Alberta;

• Russel, 1980 (Masters thesis) – The vascular flora and natural vegetation of abandoned coal mined lands, Rocky Mountain Foothills, Alberta;

• Russel, 1986 (for AFS). Reclamation with native grasses in Alberta – field trial results. • Longman, P. 2007. Vegetation Development on Reclaimed Lands at Coal Valley Mine, 1979-

2003. Masters Thesis Preliminary Results. University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. • Strong, W.L., (1998) Vegetation Survey of Reclaimed Lands within the Luscar Sterco Coal

Valley Mine. Prepared for Luscar Sterco (1977) Ltd. by Ecological Land Surveys Ltd., Edmonton, Alberta. 52pp.



• Strong, W.L. 2000. Vegetation Development on Reclaimed Lands in the Coal Valley Mine of Western Alberta, Canada. Canadian Journal of Botany 78: 110 – 118.

• Brinker, 1994. An assessment of woody species plant establishment and growth at the Obed Mountain Mine;

• Geographic Dynamics Corp, 2007. Evaluation of Reclaimed Wetland and Riparian Resources for Coal Valley Mine: EIA Report. Prepared for Coal Valley Resources Inc. Geographic Dynamics Corp. Edmonton, Alberta.

• Hatfield Consultants. 2008. Coal Valley Mine: An Evaluation of Existing End-Pit Lakes. Prepared for Coal Valley Resources Inc. Prepared by Hatfield Consultants. 42 pp. + App.

• Bighorn Wildlife Technologies Ltd. 2012. Robb Trend Project: Ungulates, small mammals, avifauna, amphibians. Prepared for Coal Valley Resources Inc., by Bighorn Wildlife Technologies Ltd. Alberta.

• Kansas, J.L. and M.L. Charlebois. 2008. Project and cumulative impact statement for mammalian carnivores – Mercoal West and Yellowhead Tower Mine Extension Project. Prep. for Coal Valley Resources Inc. by URSUS Ecosystem Management Ltd., Calgary, AB. 141 pp.

F.3.9.2 Research Focus

Coalspur’s RRMP focuses on the establishment of plant communities that will develop ecological functions similar to those of the surrounding landscape. The main elements of the research component of the program include:

• Soil management practices that encourage natural recovery and ecological function: • Coalspur’s proposed soil management practices have been selected to provide suitable

rooting conditions for the intended vegetation, and to encourage natural recovery as much as possible.

• Coalspur will establish demonstration scale plots on the initial reclamation areas using direct placement, two lift procedures, soil from stockpile and rough mounding techniques, from which best practical practices can be refined for operational reclamation. • The positive aspects of the direct placement of soil, soil replacement depths and the use

of rough-mounded placement techniques have been well documented. • The establishment of local native plant species:

• Coalspur has utilized the reclamation experiences in the region for the development of the reclamation plan.

• Early in the reclamation program Coalspur will investigate even more effective means to establish native plant species while still ensuring effective watershed protection.

• Techniques that will be examined will focus on natural or “aided” recovery, through the testing of different seeding strategies (including “nurse crop only”, combination of nurse crop/native or native/agronomic mixes and no seed/native ingress options) and soil salvage and handling strategies (e.g. sourcing from valley bottom versus upper slope positions, incorporating LFH and coarse woody debris into salvage material).

• Spraying a mulched herb layer from displaced bogs and fens to broadcast natural propagules over a large area and accelerate bog and fen species in the reclaimed wetland areas has been demonstrated to assist in achieving biodiversity;

• Other techniques of native species establishment will also be examined; such as direct seeding or planting of selected species.

• Re-establishment of a commercially productive and ecologically appropriate forest cover:



• Forest re-establishment practices have been proven under Coalspur’s expected reclamation conditions, at the Coal Valley and Obed mines. Coalspur will continue to monitor and examine techniques of forest cover re-establishment to ensure that best practices are being used. Evaluations will include early-survival considerations such as tree and shrub species type. The Coal Valley and Obed reforestation programs provide considerable experience in this respect.

• Achievement of biodiversity objectives – Biodiversity is an important consideration in Coalspur’s reclamation program. A number of techniques have been developed or assessed to promote biodiversity, such as: • landform design including rough soil placement and irregular contour development • revegetation practices such as natural recovery, nurse crop establishment, direct soil

replacement

F.3.9.3 Monitoring Focus

An important part of the reclamation program will be the monitoring of the biophysical aspects of the program. The identification of successes and limitations early in the reclamation process will allow modifications to be made through the adaptive management program to be used at the Project. In addition to providing important feedback on the effectiveness of reclamation techniques, it will also provide data to use in planning the certification of reclaimed lands and the release of lands back to the Crown.

The monitoring component of Coalspur’s RRMP involves those aspects that are important in reclamation certification:

• soil replacement characteristics (e.g. depth and quality); spoil/regolith characteristics; • revegetation patterns and performance; • Wildlife response to reclamation.

On all reclaimed sites, soil audits will be conducted to confirm that soil placement depth and quality criteria have been met. These audits will be conducted as per provincial guidelines and will be performed between year one and two following soil replacement. Subsoil and coversoil characteristics will also be assessed in these audits.

Long-term monitoring plots will be established on undisturbed and reclaimed sites of the Project. Revegetation patterns and characteristics are assessed using a number of methods, including permanent transects (e.g. modified Whittaker) and temporary plots. Assessment includes vegetation cover, species composition, vegetation competition indices and vegetation/tree changes over time.

Monitoring specific to reforestation will include temporary plots (3.99 m radius circular plots) established at the time of planting to measure planting density, planting quality and initial species composition; permanent transects (e.g. modified Whittacker) and forest regeneration surveys (modified Alberta forest regeneration surveys). The forest regeneration surveys will be conducted between years 4 and 8, and between years 10 and 14, with at least 5 years between each survey. These programs address tree/shrub seedling survival, densities, stocking, productivity and limitations, ground cover composition and change over time, and downed woody debris. Coalspur will be integrating both soils and vegetation monitoring programs as much as possible to allow analysis and evaluation of reclamation performance.

In addition to the assessment of techniques and the measurement of reclamation outcomes for certification, measurable reclamation criteria must be monitored.



F.3.9.4 Schedule for Monitoring and Research Trial Establishment

The following reclamation research and monitoring actions are planned for the first 5 years:

• Establishment of demonstration plots on the first reclamation areas using direct placement, two lift procedures, soil from stockpile and rough mounding techniques, from which best practical practices can be refined for operational reclamation.

• Commence soil audits on the first operational reclamation sites (year one or two following soil placement).

• Establishment of the first long-term vegetation and soils monitoring plots at the Project in year 2 of the first operational reclamation sites;

• Initiate quality/density plots on the first tree and shrub plantations;

Coalspur environmental personnel will be undertaking informal environmental inspections of mining and reclamation area throughout the life of the mine. The inspections will include landform stability, surface water management, weed control.

F.3.9.5 Reporting

Results of the annual monitoring and ongoing research programs will be summarized and presented in EPEA annual reports. In addition, periodic summaries will be submitted as part of mine licence applications or amendments.



F.4 CLOSURE PLAN The objectives of this section are to summarize the overall goals of mine closure and environmental management practices that will be implemented throughout the mine life. The mine development plan and design are detailed in Section C. This section describes the C&R and Closure principles that Coalspur will use for the development of the Project.

C&R and Closure planning incorporate the primary mitigation methods that will allow the site to return to pre-development land capability. Where possible, mine planning will attempt to minimize the Project footprint and therefore minimize the area that requires reclamation. The following section describes features and concepts that will be created as a result of the Project development and how these features will be returned to a productive landscape.

Mine development activities to closure are shown on Figures F.4.0.1 and F.4.0.2.

Through a progressive reclamation program, Coalspur will have reclaimed a significant portion of the mine footprint by the end of the mine life (2034). The remainder of the area will be reclaimed within five years of completion of mining.

F.4.1 Reclaimed Landscapes

Although new landscapes will be created during development and reclamation of the Project, they will be stable and able to support a variety of end land uses. The new landscapes will be integrated with the surrounding undisturbed lands and will have a greater diversity of slope classes than the pre-disturbance landscapes (Table F.4.1.1). The reclaimed landscapes are shown in Figure F.4.1.1. Cross sections are provided on Figure F.4.1.2. A total disturbance of 2469 ha is estimated for the life of the project. Developments within the minimal disturbance areas will be subject to similar objectives as the minesite thereby ensuring that these areas are also reclaimed to equivalent capability.

Table F.4.1.1 Comparison of Pre-mining and Reclaimed Terrain at Closure

Slope (degrees) Aspect

Pre-mining Reclaimed Ha % Ha %

0 - 5 E 278 11.3 128 5.2 0 - 5 N 639 25.9 251 10.2 0 - 5 S 678 27.5 273 11.1 0 - 5 W 292 11.8 123 5.0 6 - 10 E 49 2.0 40 1.6 6 - 10 N 188 7.6 87 3.5 6 - 10 S 188 7.6 118 4.8 6 - 10 W 53 2.1 35 1.4 11 - 15 E 8 0.3 32 1.3 11 - 15 N 35 1.4 90 3.7 11 - 15 S 34 1.4 90 3.6 11 - 15 W 9 0.4 20 0.8 16 - 23 E 2 0.1 101 4.1



Table F.4.1.1 Comparison of Pre-mining and Reclaimed Terrain at Closure

Slope (degrees) Aspect

Pre-mining Reclaimed Ha % Ha %

16 - 23 N 7 0.3 405 16.4 16 - 23 S 5 0.2 308 12.5 16 - 23 W 2 0.1 96 3.9 24 - 27 E 0 0.0 28 1.1 24 - 27 N 1 0.0 0 0.0 24 - 27 S 0 0.0 232 9.4 24 - 27 W 1 0.0 12 0.5 Total 2,469.0 100.0 2,469 100.0

Highwalls:

The mining sequence will not permit the highwalls to be recontoured until the end of the mine life. At that time a combination of dozer contouring and blast casting techniques will be employed to reduce the highwall to a maximum 27o (2:1) slope. To recontour the highwall a drill pattern will be developed at the crest of the highwall that will be loaded with explosives. The blast will be engineered to cast the shot material to the base of the highwall. Dozers will then be employed to complete the slope to a maximum 2:1 slope. Materials from adjacent rock dumps will be used in the highwall recontouring process. The dozers will further reduce the rock materials to provide a finer material that will be part of the subsoil profile. It is anticipated that the recontoured surface of the slope will not meet the criteria for suitable overburden. The recontoured highwall will be sampled and analysis will be completed to confirm the suitability of the recontoured surface prior to soil replacement.

Haul Roads:

There will be five main haul roads constructed for the mine operations. Most of the haulroads will be constructed within the pit development areas. The haul roads will be designed at a maximum grade of 8% and will have emergency escape routes built along the downhill side of the coal haul ramps. The majority of the haul roads will be used for the life of the mine and will be reclaimed during the mine closure period. The haulroads will be recontoured to blend with the adjacent reclaimed lands. Where required the haul road surface will be ripped to relieve compaction prior to the replacement of soil materials and revegetation.

McPherson Creek is the only permanent watercourse that will require a haulroad crossing. Coalspur is planning to install an arched clear span crossing similar to those installed at other mines in the area. The crossing will be constructed so that all run off from the haul road will be directed away from the crossing into impoundments constructed on both sides of McPherson Creek. Refer to Section F.4 for details on the crossing reclamation.

F.4.2 Soil Management

The coversoil that will be replaced at the Project will be a mixture of woody debris, LFH materials and the A and B soil horizon material. The reconstructed coversoils will be able to provide:



• adequate moisture retention capability; • adequate nutrient supply; and • ability to support an erosion resistant vegetative cover.

The basis of the soil salvage practices for the Project is discussed in detail in Section 3.5 of the reclamation plan. During the development and operations of the Project the adaptive management and continual improvement programs may introduce changes to the soil salvage practices.

Table F.4.2.1 provides a summary of the soil salvage volumes to closure.

Table F.4.2.1 Soil Salvage Volumes at Closure

Salvage Area Topsoil Volume (m3)

Organic Volume (m3)

Upper Subsoil Volume (m3)

Fines Settling Pond 314,103 850,677 657,506

Fresh Water Pond 44,146 367,221 88,293

Loadout & Access 61,435 46,565 105,475 North Rock Dump 563,681 973,187 1,208,870 Pit 900,165 1,973,778 1,971,037 Plant Site 103,597 110,380 207,192 ROM Access Road 7159 0 14,319 ROM Conveyor 11,929 22,962 23,661 South Rock Dump 216,851 1,373,014 476,612 SP 1 437 2,941 873 SP 2 742 8,020 989 Subcrop Rock Dump 106,749 1,556,951 251,254

TS 1 33,384 188,243 66,770 TS 2 10,120 0 20,240 TS 3 9,046 2,723 18,092 TS 4 7,297 66,379 14,594 TS 5 45,851 451,882 95,677 TS 6 18,144 3,932 36,289 TS 7 3,596 43,505 7,192 TS 8 10,418 47,661 20,838 TS 9 4,559 29,951 9,064

2,473,409 8,119,972 5,294,837

At closure there will be approximately 2,203 ha of recontoured area that will require soil replacement. Soil replacement practices are discussed in detail in Section F.3.6.2. During the development and operations of the Project the adaptive management and continual improvement programs may introduce changes to the soil replacement practices. All salvaged soil will be replaced on the recontoured areas.



The soil management plan will ensure that unsuitable overburden materials will not be present in the rooting zone. Overburden material samples will be analyzed to determine the suitability of the material. The required thickness of suitable overburden/coversoil soil over top of unsuitable material will be determined in subsequent discussions with AEW and SRD.

Although the reclaimed capabilities differ from the predevelopment capabilities they will have a wide range of diversity and will be able to support a variety of end land uses.

F.4.3 Revegetation

Established revegetation procedures will be used for the revegetation program at the Project. The objectives of the revegetation program relate to issues of wildlife, erosion, recreation and tourism, ecological succession and traditional land use.

Upon closure, much of the reclaimed landscape will be in the various stages of the progressive reclamation program. The revegetation techniques in use will be a continuation of practices that have been employed during the development of the mine. These practices may have been modified by the adaptive management and continuous improvement programs at the mine.

The goals of the revegetation program include:

• the establishment of an erosion resistant plant cover on disturbance areas; • the provision of a diverse range of plant species at the start of reclamation to increase the

potential of achieving a bio-diversity level equivalent to pre-development conditions; and • the establishment of a self-sustaining viable plant communities during reclamation.

Information from the environmental assessment was used to select the target ecosites for the various disturbance areas and the revegetation program is expected to, over time, provide the capability to establish ecosite phases. The development of the ecosite phases are determined by the following factors:

• slope and aspect; • moisture regime; • soil type (capability class) and drainage conditions; and • plant succession.

Vegetation communities are expected to eventually evolve into a biologically diverse forest suitable for commercial forest harvesting, traditional land uses, wildlife and recreational uses. Natural processes and succession will augment the vegetation program and will provide the framework for the revegetated areas to evolve into ecosystems similar to those naturally present in the region.

Undisturbed natural ground within the development footprint has been demonstrated to assist in the colonization of the reclaim areas by wildlife and as a source of native plant seed. Where possible, patches of undisturbed natural vegetation will be retained within the disturbance footprint.

Slash and deadfall material add value as an amendment to the replaced soils when incorporated into the soil or spread on the soil surface. The woody debris provides habitat for micro and mega fauna by supplying cover, nesting or denning sites. The woody debris also facilitates revegetation as the woody debris provides microsites for plant establishment and the decomposing wood provides a moist and fertile seedbed.



A comparison of pre and post ecological unit cover across the project footprint has been made (Table F.4.3.1). Figure F.4.3.1a and F.4.3.1b depict the distribution of ecological units at closure.

Table F.4.3.1 Comparison of Cover of Pre- and Post-Reclamation Ecological Units

Ecological Unit Applicable

Ecosite Phases

Baseline Cover Post-Reclamation

Cover

Area (ha)

relative cover (%)

Area (ha)

relative cover (%)

GRASSLAND upland a1, ff1 0 0.0 123 4.6

riparian g2 0 0.0 0 0 SHRUBLAND

upland ff2 0 0.0 84 3.2 riparian g1 0.5 0.0 23 0.9

CONIFEROUS, CLOSED FOREST dry d1 298 11.3

1,325 50.0 moist e1, e3, e4, f1,

f4, f5 253.5 9.6

CONIFEROUS, OPEN FOREST dry b1, c1 4 0.2

280 10.6 moist c4 0 0.0

MIXEDWOOD FOREST moist c3, e2, f3 414 15.6 309 11.7

DECIDUOUS FOREST moist c2, f2, f6 3 0.1 52 2.0

WETLAND

forested wetland h1, i1, j1 (STNN) 456 17.2

128 4.8

treed bog k1 (BTNN) 0 0.0 shrubby bog k2 0 0.0

treed fen l1, m1 (FTNN) 559 21.1

shrubby fen l2, m2 (FONS) 20 0.7

graminoid fen l3, m3 (FONG) 9 0.3

marsh MONG 0 0.0

ANTHROPOGENIC AII, AIH, ASR, CIP, CIW, CL

630 23.7 0 0

OPEN WATER NWL, NWR 2 0.1 351 13.3 TOTAL 2,649 100.0 2,649 100



F.4.4 Surface Water Management

During operations and closure of the Project the groundwater and surface water will be managed so that water draining from the mine area meets accepted standards. At closure, a sustainable system of watercourses, wetlands and the end pit lake will be developed to manage groundwater and surface water. Consequently, while the topographical characteristics of the final closure landscape are the result of the mine plan, the surface details will be configured to meet the requirements of a sustainable surface water drainage system.

The configuration of the proposed surface water drainage systems for the reclaim landscape is shown on Figure F.4.1.1. The system includes watercourses, shallow water bodies/wetlands, and the end pit lake. The closure drainage scheme will collect all runoff and drainage from around the development area, similar to the plan when the mine is in full operation, and direct it towards the end pit lake and to McPherson Creek and its tributaries. Several wetlands have been strategically planned at major collection points to provide the benefit of water treatment and flow attenuation. The re-constructed watercourses will be developed as riparian areas through undisturbed areas or on reclaimed areas.

F.4.4.1 Erosion Control

Erosion of the reclaimed land surface is a natural process that will occur on the new landscape at the Project. In order to reduce the negative impact of erosion the landscape will be shaped to provide dips and swales that will reduce slope steepness and slope length thereby reducing surface flow rates and distance. Some erosion of cover soil material is expected to occur on steep slopes and long slopes. The natural process of erosion, sediment transport and redeposition within the reclaimed landscape may modify the thickness and texture of surface layers. The loss and deposition of soil adds to diversity and develops more natural soil landscapes. As vegetation cover becomes established and provides effective protection, the frequency and magnitude of erosion will decrease.

Drainage courses on the reclaimed landscape will shift over time as erosion occurs. The drainage courses will be designed to accommodate these changes through the use of erosion control systems such as the use of armouring with boulders and the establishment of vegetation. The reclaimed landscape will be monitored for erosion and excessive erosion will be identified and mitigation will be planned as required.

F.4.4.2 Groundwater

The assessment of potential effects of the Project on groundwater resources considers changes to groundwater levels, flow patterns and quality including groundwater/surface water interactions. A Hydrogeological Impact Assessment was completed for the Project application and is included in CR#3.

Mining operations will disrupt surficial and shallow groundwater aquifers and replace them with overburden and tailings that have low hydraulic conductivity. In addition, an end pit lake will be established in the reclaim landscape. It is anticipated that shallow groundwater systems will re-establish over time and will reflect the topography, drainage and subsurface materials in the reclaim landscape.

Groundwater quality in the reclaimed lands is expected to be generally similar to natural groundwater quality.

F.4.5 Closure Plans

The Project development and reclamation process will establish several new landforms. These features are common to coal mine developments and form the landscape of the reclaimed mine. These components include:



• reclaimed waste rock dumps; • reclaimed mine haulroads; • reclaimed coal plant site; • reclaimed fine waste disposal site; • reclaimed conveyor rights of way; • reconstructed streams and wetlands; • reclaimed end pit lake; and • ancillary areas such as ponds, access roads and other linear corridors.

Cross sections through the reclaimed mine at closure are included in Figure F.4.1.2. Coalspur will reclaim closure landforms to a capability equivalent to pre-development conditions. This will be accomplished by following the reclamation plan that was developed considering input from regional coal mine developments, the mine EPEA approval, regulatory requirements and input from the public engagement and aboriginal consultation programs.

The closure landforms were designed such that they are integrated with landforms and watershed systems on undisturbed land;

• the location of land uses in areas or on landforms provide physical, biological, social and economic value; and

• forest productivity of reclaimed landscape will be equal to or greater than pre-development conditions.

Figure F.4.1.1 shows the proposed closure landscape for the Project. Coalspur is committed to ensure that the final C&R and Closure Plan for the Project are integrated and compatible with adjacent undisturbed landforms.

F.4.5.1 Plant Site

At the time of mine closure the site of the coal processing plant and all associated facilities will be reclaimed. The plant building, maintenance shops and the administration building will be dismantled and removed from the site. The building sites, access roads and coal storage areas will be ripped to relieve compaction and recontoured. Conserved cover soil materials will be replaced and the sites will be revegetated.

F.4.5.2 Fines Settling Pond

The fines settling pond was designed and will be constructed to establish landforms that meet the overall reclamation goals of the Project. The slopes of the fines settling pond will be progressively reclaimed as the containment structure is developed. Slopes will be contoured at variable angles ranging from a maximum slope of 18o (3:1). Cover soil will be spread on the recontoured slopes and subsequently revegetated.

The reclaimed landscape will facilitate the development of a wetland complex on the top of the fines settling pond. The wetland complex will convey surface waters to a channel along the northeast corner of the disposal area. An armoured channel will be constructed to allow water to flow off the pond area while minimizing erosion. This channel will discharge into a lower level settling pond that will also be developed as a wetland. The constructed wetland will in turn flow to the MRT 1 tributary of McPherson Creek.



The constructed wetlands on the top of the reclaimed fines settling pond will provide a level of water treatment and attenuate flows across the reclaimed area.

F.4.5.3 Settling Ponds

There will be series of settling ponds and drainage ditches constructed to manage the mine wastewater generated during the development of the mine. During mine closure the drainage ditches and some of the ponds will be reclaimed. The facilities will be recontoured, soil will be replaced and the sites will be revegetated to the requirements of the revegetation program.

Some of the settling ponds will be developed as either freshwater ponds or wetlands. The long toed salamander habitat requirements include fishless ponds for breeding. Coalspur is planning to convert some of the settling ponds to provide this habitat requirement. Coalspur is also planning to convert some settling ponds into peat based wetlands by filling them with them with salvaged organic soils and providing a reliable water supply through the recontouring operations during the development and reclamation phases. Where possible the constructed wetlands will be connected with natural wetlands as connectivity has been determined to be a benefit in wetland development.

Detailed plans for these activities will be provided during the closure planning phase.

F.4.5.4 Access Road/Conveyor Right of Way

The main access corridor constructed for the mine will contain the main access road, the powerline right of way and the clean coal conveyor right of way. At the time of mine closure the conveyor right of way, powerline and the main site access road will be reclaimed. All of the infrastructure will be removed and the disturbed areas will be recontoured to blend with the adjacent undisturbed lands. Compacted areas will be ripped to relieve the compaction. Conserved soil materials will be replaced and the disturbed areas will be revegetated.

F.4.5.5 Clean Coal Loadout

The coal conveyor will transport the clean coal to a load out facility constructed adjacent to the railway track on the north side of Highway 16. The conveyor will cross highway 16 on an elevated structure.

At mine closure the loadout and associated conveyor structures will be fully reclaimed. The load out facility will be dismantled and all associated infrastructure will be removed. The area will be recontoured, compaction will be relieved and conserved soil will be replaced. The area will be revegetated to integrate with adjacent undisturbed lands.

F.4.5.6 End Pit Lake

An end pit lake will be developed in the centre of the mine development area. The conceptual physical characteristics for the end pit lake are provided in Table F.4.5.1 and are depicted on Figure F.4.1.1b.



Table F.4.5.1 Lake Characteristics

Water level (m) 1180 Lake Surface Area (ha) 318 Maximum Depth (m) 155 Average Depth (m) 45.6 Lake Volume (1000 m³) 145,100 Littoral Zone (ha) 56 Littoral Zone (%) 18 Drainage Area including lake (km²) 10.52

Mean Annual Outflow (m³/s)1 0.086 1. Two outlets - 91% to McPherson, 9% to MCT2

Detailed lake plans will be provided prior to the commencement of the development of the lake.

Based on a review of the post mining hydrology, a design water surface elevation of 1180 m was determined for the end pit lake. There will not be a defined inlet channel for the lake as it will depend of local surface water and groundwater inflow for water supply.

Refer to the hydrology report located in CR#6 for details on the estimated filling times.

The end pit lake is adjacent to McPherson Creek which is a significant local trout fishery. The lake will outflow in two locations:

• The western outflow will be developed at the location of a previous coal haul ramp with a 1% armoured channel to connect to McPherson Creek.

• The eastern outflow will be constructed in the south-east corner of the pit. A constructed channel will connect the lake to the McPherson Creek tributary (MT 2) that is located adjacent the eastern pit limit.

Refer to the hydrology report located in CR#6 for details on the lake outflow channels.

The mine closure map (Figure F.4.1.1) illustrates the conceptual end-pit lake.

The lakeshore will feature two primary slope classes. On the north side of the lake the highwall will be contoured to a maximum 27o slope while the remaining areas will be contoured to maximum 23o slope. Areas around the reclaimed pit access ramps will be contoured to a variety of slope classes. Where appropriate the sides of the end pit lake will be contoured to ensure wildlife and recreational foot access to and alongside the water’s edge.

The lake will be designed to support a fishery through the provision of suitable habitat. Shallow water is essential to maintain a sustainable fishery in the lake. The lake will be constructed to provide adequate amounts of littoral zone around the lake perimeter. Approximately 18 % of the lake surface area will be developed as littoral zone with water depths ranging from 0 to 3.5m. The lake can be designed to either be a stocked lake or for natural recruitment from McPherson Creek. Coalspur will support direction provided by SRD in conjunction with stakeholder input.



The lake bottom substrate will consist of the pit footwall and overburden materials from the recontouring operations. Organic soils will be spread at a depth of 15 cm over the entire littoral zone. The placement of the organic soils will assist with the establishment of aquatic vegetation.

It is anticipated that wetland vegetation will be introduced to the lake from the soils used for the shoreline reclamation and from surface water flow into the lake. Riparian vegetation consisting of both submergent and emergent vegetation will be established along the shoreline. Some of the shoreline may receive direct planting of wetland vegetation species. Above the waterline a belt of riparian grasslands and shrublands will be developed.

Enhancements such as the placement of large submerged and partially submerged rocks in the littoral areas will be completed to provide fisheries habitat and platforms for recreation and fishing.

F.4.5.7 Linear Corridors

All roads, powerlines and the conveyor rights of way will be reclaimed to equivalent capability during the closure of the mine. Access roads will have all of the culverts removed, ripped to relieve compaction and will be recontoured to integrate with the surrounding landscape. With the replacement of reclamation materials it is anticipated that the roads will become part of the productive land base.

Due to the limited amount soil disturbance associated with powerline construction it is anticipated that the right of ways will naturally re-vegetate soon after all of the facilities are removed.

F.5 CONCLUSIONS The Conservation and Reclamation (C&R) and Closure Plan for the Project outlines the vision, goals, approach and detailed plans for reclaiming all areas disturbed through the life of this Project. The primary reclamation goal of the Project is to return the lands to a capability that is equivalent to predevelopment conditions and consistent with end land use objectives.

The key components of the reclamation plan that will ensure these goals are met include:

• the Project has sufficient coversoil to achieve equivalent land capability; • salvaging and replacing both upland soils and organic soils will add diversity to the reclaimed

mine soils; • the closure plan incorporates a general conversion of the disturbance area to upland landforms,

with the inclusion of several small wetlands and an end pit lake; • a significant amount of direct coversoil replacement is a key aspect of maintaining ecological

diversity on reclaimed landscape; • vegetation patterns will be similar to what existed prior to development with early seral stages

that are capable of ecological succession; • progressive reclamation allows for approximately two thirds of disturbance area to be reclaimed

by the time of mine closure; and • the end pit lake will tie into McPherson Creek and will provide opportunity for enhanced fish

habitat. • incorporating adaptive management strategy into all development activities.



F.5.1 Public Engagement and Aboriginal Consultation Summary

This reclamation plan consistently addresses the issues and values voiced during Coalspur’s public engagement process, as summarized in Section F.1.5. Examples include

• Coalspur is including the use of native species in all aspects of the revegetation. Coalspur will include many deciduous shrub and tree species in the revegetation program and will incorporate many techniques to encourage native plant establishment;

• Coalspur has developed a reforestation program that will provide for commercial forest productivity. Coalspur will plant commercial tree species in areas that are suitable for forestry operations;

• Coalspur has included many of the requirements for the return of wildlife habitat that will support an assemblage of wildlife species. Plant species selection and recontouring operations will be completed that add value for many wildlife species; and

• Coalspur has developed a water management plan to protect the aquatic resources in the Project area. Coalspur will manage surface and ground water to ensure that the receiving environment is protected.

Coalspur is committed to continue the public engagement process through the life of the Project.

Examples of how the reclamation plan addresses issues and values raised during the Aboriginal consultation process as summarized in Section F.1.6 include the following:

• Coalspur has developed a surface water management plan to manage the water on and around the Project. It will be a very important aspect of the mine operations to protect surface and ground waters;

• Coalspur respects the spiritual connection with the lands and water. Coalspur will include elements in the reclamation plan such as providing for the spiritual energy in the interaction of rock and water;

• Coalspur has included wildlife habitat creation in the reclamation plan to provide for the needs of the wildlife that inhabit the Project area. The wildlife habitat creation will sustain local wildlife populations;

• Coalspur expects that mineral and salt licks will become established at toe seeps in the reclaimed landscape. The effectiveness of these sites will be enhanced by planting suitable species around them

• Coalspur will incorporate identified traditional plant species in the revegetation program. Coalspur will continue to consult and with the Aboriginal groups to identify species that can be included or evaluated for future inclusion in the revegetation programs

Coalspur is committed to continue the Aboriginal consultation program throughout the life of the Project.

McPherson Creek

R 22 W5M

T 52

R 23R 24R 25

T 51

T 50

McLeod R

iv

er

Pit

North Rock Dump

Fines Settling Pond

South Rock Dump

TS 5

Plant Site

TS 1

Fresh Water Pond

Subcrop RockDump

Overland Conveyor

TS 4

TS 8

TS 6

TS 2

TS 3

TS 7 TS 9

ROM Conveyor

ROM Access Road

SP 2 SP 1

Plant Site Access Road

Loadout Conveyor

Highway Access(North & South)

Train LoadoutAccess Road

Ath

abasca R

iver

HINTON

CNR

Treed Islands

��

16

1

7

6

7 8 98 9

15 4 3 2 35 41

7

6 2 6

12 6346 51234561

8

5

1111

13

24

25

1212

36

13

36

24

34

25 30

31

2019

1816

21

2928

17 1518

20

3335

29

32

19

34

14

33

22

30

31

262728

23

3235

10

31

17

36

1210

36

2221 2423

27

31

35

30

19

1816 15 13

34

14

2526

3532 3633 31 32 33 34 35 36

5

26

2

25 30 29 28 27 26 25 30 29 28 27 26 25

17

20

29

32

2

3134

30

35

11

26

23

27

14

MRT1

AR

T1

M

CT9

M

cPherson Creek

MRT1A

TC

2

MC

T5

MC

T2

MCT6

Tra

il Creek TCT1

MC T12

M

CT

10 M

C

T3

MC

T8

MC

T4

MC

T1

Legend

Existing Mine Permit

Proposed Mine Permit

2014 Operations

Haul Road"

Clean Water Ditch

"

Diversion Ditch

"

Collection Ditch

In Pit Coal

Waste Rock Dump

Topsoil Stockpile

Settling Pond

Pit

Plant Site

Fines Settling Pond

Loadout & Access

ROM Conveyor & Access

Fresh Water Pond

Proposed Development

Rock Dump

Storage Pond Area

Settling Pond (SP)

TS Storage (TS)

Defined Channel Watercourse

Undefined Channel Watercourse

F.1.3.1

PS/SL

RM

Apr 12/12

10-036

Vista Coal Project

Vista Mine Components - Based on Year 2014 Infrastructure

PROJECT:

DATE:

CHECKED:

DRAWN: FIGURE:TITLE:

0 1.2 2.40.6

Kilometres

I

REF: Hydrology modified by MEMS, 2012 (Source Geobase); MEMS, 2012.

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

""

""

"

"

"

"

"

""

""

"

"

"

"

"

"

R 22 W5MR 23R 24

T 51

T 50

R 23

Fines Settling

Pond

McLeod Riv

er

McPherson Creek

NorthRock Dump

SouthRock Dump

7 8 9

135 4

7

6 2 6

8

5

11

13

12

1617 1518 14

10

18

36 31 32 33 34 35 36

17

31

25 30 29 28 27 26 25 30

1

35

13

26

12

192423 202221201924

F.1.3.2

PS

DM

Apr 13/12

10-036

Vista Coal Project

5 Year Reclamation Progression (2019)PROJECT:

DATE:

CHECKED:


I

REF: Marston, 2012

Legend

Mine Permit Boundary

Pit Crest

Fresh Water Pond

Active Mining

In Pit Coal

Pit Floor

Waste Rock Dump

Topsoil Stockpile

Reclamation

Settling Pond

Pumping Pond

Haul Road

"

Clean Water Ditch

"

Diversion Ditch

"

Collection Ditch

0 1 2 30.5

Kilometres

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

""

""

"

"

"

"

""

""

"

"

"

"

"

"

R 22 W5MR 23R 24

T 51

T 50

R 23

Fines Settling

Pond

McLeod Riv

er

McPherson Creek

NorthRock Dump

SouthRock Dump

7 8 9

135 4

7

6 2 6

8

5

11

13

12

1617 1518 14

10

18

36 31 32 33 34 35 36

17

31

25 30 29 28 27 26 25 30

1

35

13

26

12

192423 202221201924

F.1.3.3

PS

DM

Apr 13/12

10-036

Vista Coal Project

10 Year Reclamation Progression (2024)PROJECT:

DATE:

CHECKED:


I

REF: Marston, 2012

Legend


Pit Crest

Fresh Water Pond

Active Mining

In Pit Coal

Pit Floor

Waste Rock Dump

Topsoil Stockpile

Reclamation

Settling Pond

Pumping Pond

Haul Road

"

Clean Water Ditch

"

Diversion Ditch

"

Collection Ditch

0 1 2 30.5

Kilometres

R 22 W5MR 23R 24

T 51

T 50

R 23

McLeod

Riv

er

McPherson Creek

M R

T1

MRT1A

MC

T2

M C T12

MC

T4

MC

T1

7 8 9

135 4

7

6 2 6

8

5

11

13

12

1617 1518 14

10

18

36 31 32 33 34 35 36

17

31

25 30 29 28 27 26 25 30

1

35

13

26

12

192423 202221201924

Vista Coal Project

Ecological Units at Year 10 (2024)

TITLE:

I

REF: Marston, 2012; MEMS, 2012

Legend


Fresh Water Pond

Active Mine Area

Upland

G - Grassland

S - Shrubland

D - Deciduous

OC - Open Coniferous

CC - Closed Coniferous

MW - Mixedwood

OW - Open Water

Lowland

Sr - Shrubland (riparian)

W - Wetland

0 1 20.5

Kilometres

Ma

p D

ocu

me

nt:

(K

:\A

ctive

Pro

jects

20

10

\AP

10

-00

1 t

o 1

0-0

50

\10

-03

6 C

oa

lsp

ur\

Fin

al D

ocs\C

an

d R

\Fig

3.8

.1 E

co

log

ica

l U

nits a

t Y

ea

r 1

0.m

xd

) 4

/24

/20

12

--

12

:05

:04

PM

F.3.7.1

PS/SL

AW

Apr 24/12

10-036PROJECT:

DATE:

CHECKED:

DRAWN: FIGURE:

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

""

"

""

"

"

"

"

""

""

"

"

"

"

"

"

R 22 W5MR 23R 24

T 51

T 50

R 23

Fines Settling

Pond

McLeod Riv

er

McPherson Creek

NorthRock Dump

SouthRock Dump

7 8 9

135 4

7

6 2 6

8

5

11

13

12

1617 1518 14

10

18

36 31 32 33 34 35 36

17

31

25 30 29 28 27 26 25 30

1

35

13

26

12

192423 202221201924

F.4.0.1

PS

DM

Apr 13/12

10-036

Vista Coal Project

11-15 Year Reclamation Progression(2025-2029)

PROJECT:

DATE:

CHECKED:


I

REF: Marston, 2012

Legend


Pit Crest

Fresh Water Pond

Active Mining

In Pit Coal

Pit Floor

Waste Rock Dump

Topsoil Stockpile

Reclamation

Settling Pond

Pumping Pond

Haul Road

"

Clean Water Ditch

"

Diversion Ditch

"

Collection Ditch

0 1 2 30.5

Kilometres

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

""

""

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

""

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

R 22 W5MR 23R 24

T 51

T 50

R 23

Fines Settling

Pond

McLeod Riv

er

McPherson Creek

7 8 9

135 4

7

6 2 6

8

5

11

13

12

1617 1518 14

10

18

36 31 32 33 34 35 36

17

31

25 30 29 28 27 26 25 30

1

35

13

26

12

192423 202221201924

F.4.0.2

PS

DM

Apr 13/12

10-036

Vista Coal Project

16-20 Year Reclamation Progression(2030-2034)

PROJECT:

DATE:

CHECKED:


I

REF: Marston, 2012

Legend


Pit Crest

Fresh Water Pond

Active Mining

In Pit Coal

Pit Floor

Waste Rock Dump

Topsoil Stockpile

Reclamation

Settling Pond

Pumping Pond

Haul Road

"

Clean Water Ditch

"

Diversion Ditch

"

Collection Ditch

0 1 2 30.5

Kilometres

McPherson Creek

R 22 W5MR 23R 24

T 51

T 50

McL

eod R

iver

R 23

"

AB Pond

SD 2Pond

SD 1Pond

ND 2Pond

ND 1Pond

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

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"

"

"

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"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

""

""

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

87 8 9

1 535 41

7

6 2 6

11

13

12

171617 1518 14

1012

1813

35

2526 30 29 3028

36

27 2526

31 32 33 34 35 3136

1210

1220

1200

1230

1240

1250

1260

1150

1270

1180

1170

1160

1280 1290

1190

1300

1310

1320

1340

1330

1140

1390

1350

1400

1130

1380

1120

1370

1360

1110

1410

12201180

12201230

1260

123

0

1320

1200

1210

1230

1230

1200

1210

1240

1260

1210

1230

1240

1190

1280

1230

1180

1290

1200

12201240

1200

1250

1260

1190

1210

1180

1280

1370

1190

1210

1220

1120

1260

1180

1350

1190

1240

1200

1200

1210

1270

1190

1230

1200

1300

1120

1260

1180

1230

1250

1210

1210

1280

1200

1230

1130

1120

12401200

1200

1220

1180

1120

1270

1190

1220

1190

1250

1210

1210

1220

11901200

1280

1180

1310

1180

1210

1160

1240

1220

1160

1180

1190

1190

1360

1230

1250

1190

1200

1150

1180

1140

1250

12701220

1230

1250

1170

1120

12

30

1240

1270

1140

Legend


Contour (interval 10m)

End Pit Lake

Existing Lake

Constructed Pond

Constructed Wetland

Watercourse

Existing Intermittent

Existing Perennial

Constructed

F.4.1.1

PS/SL

RM

Apr 12/12

10-036

Vista Coal Project

Closure Reclamation Landscape withSurface Drainage

PROJECT:

DATE:

CHECKED:


0 1.2 2.40.6

Kilometres

I

REF: Hydrology from MEMS, 2012 (Source Geobase); Mine contours from Marston, 2012

Drainage Direction

"

1000

1100

1200

1300

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000 6500 7000 7500 8000

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000 6500 7000 7500 8000

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1500

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000

1000

1100

1200

1300

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500

Cross-Section A

Cross-Section B

Cross-Section C

Cross-Section D

Cross-Section E

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1000

1100

1200

1300

1500

1000

1100

1200

1300CREEK

McPHERSONCREEK

McPHERSONCREEK

McPHERSONCREEK

McPHERSONCREEK

END PIT LAKE

END PIT LAKE

END PIT LAKE

END PIT LAKE

END PITLAKE

WEST EAST

EAST

NORTH

NORTH

NORTH

WEST

SOUTH

SOUTH

SOUTH

Scale 1 : 30 000

1km0 400

2x Vertical Exaggeration DRAWN:

FILE: Closure Cross Sections v2.dwg

CHECKED:

DATE:

PROJECT:

Closure Cross Sections

TITLE:

FIGURE:

F.4.1.2

AD

DM

Apr 29/12

10-036

Vista Coal Project

B

B'

E

E'

D

D'C'

C

A

A'

A A'

B'

C'

D'

E'E

D

C

B

R 24 R 23 W5MT 52

T 51

CNR

²³

16

34

16

21

28

17 1518

20

29

19

3433

22

30

31

27

3235 36

2224

23

27

15 1314

2526

1340

1420

1300

1220

1260

1370

1330

1160

1250

1280

1360

1080

1310

1300

1320

1370

1320

1360

1360

1400

1320

1250

1250

1310

1390

1300

1330

1360

1420

1300

1330

1330

123

0

12

40

1280

1380

1430

1360

1310

1330

1300

1340

1360

1220

1050

1440

1360

1290

1310

1350

1260

1310

1360

1290

1280

13901410

1380

1230

1360

1370

1410

1300

1340

1440

1220

1360

1380

1370

12

40

1300

1380

127

0

13

20

1420

1250

1250

1410

1390

1300

1410

1350

1290 1290

1350

1330

1380

1330

1330

1390

1360

1230

1250

1230

1400

1360

1280

1360

1420

1270

12

30

13701280

1380

1350

1420

13701350

1410

1270

1330

138

0

1340

1240

1410

1380

14301410

1330

1370

1320

1360

1250

1380 1390

1420

1290

1420

1190

1420

141

0

1260

1400

14001450

1250

1210

1410

1320

1210

1360

1340

1270

140

0

1450

1330

1410124

0

1360

1250

1390

1380

1240

12

80

1360

1280

1350

1370

1360

12

80

1320

1430

13501420

1330

1240

1300

1340

1320

1150

1170

1160

1200

1140

1120

1260

1290

1240

1070

1250

1280

1350

1380

1360

1210

1320

1330

12301190

1340

1370

1310

1390

1410

1400

1420

1430

1440

1450

1420

1270

1270

1320

1390

1310

1200

1330

1360

1260

1270

1340

1310

1360

1360

1250

1310

1050

1300

132

0

1420

1060

1360

1300

1370

1370

1370

1350

1310

1390

1200

1320

1220

1320

1330

1280

1370

1450

1220

1430

1290

1380

1420

1300

1190

1420

1420

1370

1270

1360

1270

1350

1450

1320

1320

14101420

1330

1270 1270

1370

1430

1350

1260

130

0

1350

1390

1230

1320

13

60

1270

1400

1260

1340

1350

1410

1280

1310

1280

1410

1360

1360

1310

1270

1260

1360

1320

1360

1300

1340

1350

1450

1440

1410

1310

1290

CCG

OWCC

CCG

D

OC

W

D

S

D

D

MW

S

MW

MW

S

SMW

S

MWS

CC

Sr

D MW

OC

W

OC

Sr

Sr

MW

CC SrMW

WCC

MW

W

CC

CC

W

CC

MW

CC

MW

CC

MW

Sr

Sr

CC

MW

Sr

CC

Sr

CC

MW

MW

AR

T1

MRT1

TC

2

M

CT

9

Tra

ilC

reek

TCT1

Legend


Defined Channel Watercourse

Undefined Channel Watercourse

Contour (interval 10m)F.4.3.1a

PS/SL/JG

AW

Apr 28/12

10-036

Vista Coal Project

Ecological Units at Mine Closure- Conveyor and Loadout

PROJECT:

DATE:

CHECKED:


0 0.6 1.20.3

Kilometres

I

REF: MEMS, 2012.

R 22 W5MR 23R 24

T 51

T 50

Mine Area

Loadout & Access

Index Map

Upland

G - Grassland

S - Shrubland

D - Deciduous



MW - Mixedwood

OW - Open Water

Lowland


W - Wetland

R 23 R 22 W5M

T 51

T 50

McL

eod

Riv

er

R 24 R 23

McPherson Creek

7 8 9

135 4

7

6 2 6

11

13

12

1617 1518 14

10

18

36 31 32 33 34 35 36

CC

OW

G

CC

CC

CC

CC

OC

CC

CC

G

OC

MW

S

D

G

OC

S

W

D

D

OC

OC

S

CC

CC

OC

MW

D

G

D

G

MW

MW

Sr

D

W

W

OC

S G

D

G

D

G

MWS

OW

D

D

MW

W

OC

D

MW

D

MW

MW

S

DMW

MW

MW

OW

Sr

S

W

S

D

S

W

S

MW

S

MW

Sr

G

MW

CC

CC

G MW

MWS

CC

S

D

DOC

Sr

W

W

DD

MW

D

S

OC

MW

SrW

OW

OW

Sr

12

10

1220

1200

1230

1240

1250

1260

1150

127

0

1180

1170

1160

1280

1290

1190

1300

1310 13201340

1330

1140

1390

1350

1400

1130

1380

1120

1370

1360

1410

1290 1260

1200

1240

1200

1230

1200

13201210

1190

1230

1220

1410

1180

1210

1210

1180

1260

1210

12601250

1190

1190

1210

1210

1200

1200

1230

1180

1190

1270

1350

1260

1230

1230

1200

1220

1260

1190

1180

1370

1190

1120

1180

1190

1200

1230

1200

1170

1210

1200

1300

1180

1280

1120

1250

1240

1210

1210

1280

1200

1230

1280

1160

1120

1240

1230

1120

1220

1220

1240

1250

1240

1210

11901200

1280

1220

1270

1180

1230

12

20

1180

1210

1160

1240

1220

1180

1230

11901190

1360

1230

1190

1200

1180

1140

12501270

1220

1230

1250

1170

1120

1230

1240

1270

1310

WCC

MW

WW

MW

MW

Legend


Contour (interval 10m)

Map

Doc

umen

t:(K

:\Act

ive

Pro

ject

s20

10\A

P10

-001

to10

-050

\10-

036

Coa

lspu

r\Fin

alD

ocs\

Can

dR

\Fig

4.3.

1bE

colo

gica

lUni

tsat

Clo

sure

-Min

e.m

xd)4

/28/

2012

--2:

47:0

7P

M

F.4.3.1b

PS/SL/JG

AW

Apr 24/12

10-036

Vista Coal Project

Ecological Units at Mine Closure- Mine Area

PROJECT:

DATE:

CHECKED:


0 0.6 1.20.3

Kilometres

I

REF: MEMS, 2012.

R 22 W5MR 23R 24

T 51

T 50

Mine Area

Loadout & Access

Index Map

Upland

G - Grassland

S - Shrubland

D - Deciduous



MW - Mixedwood

OW - Open Water

Lowland


W - Wetland

Watercourse

Constructed

Existing Intermittent

Existing Perennial

section f – reclamation plan - alberta.ca€¦ · vegetation within the development area is...

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