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vacation homes and condominiums, due in part to the skiing, recreation, and tourism which are <br />popular in the area. <br /> <br />Upland areas on both sides of the Roaring Fork Valley comprise parts of the White River National <br />Forest. Most of the valley bottoms and sideslopes are under private ownership. The Roaring Fork <br />Valley is a natural geographic corridor between Glenwood Springs, where the Roaring Fork and <br />Colorado Rivers meet, and the town of Aspen, which is directly west of the Continental Divide. <br />Within this corridor, State Highway 82 connects Glenwood Springs and Aspen, which are the county <br /> <br />seats of Garfield and Pitkin Counties, respectively. <br /> <br />Description of the Operation and Reclamation Plans <br /> <br />The general descriptions of the mining operations and facilities have been reviewed by the Division <br />for compliance with the Rules and Regulations. A summary of past mining operations and the <br />current status of the reclamation plan are presented below. Further details regarding past mining <br />operations and the reclamation plan can be found in Sections 4.3 and 4.4, respectively, in Volume I <br />of the permit application. <br /> <br />Coal was extracted from two seams in the North Thompson Creek Mines. Mine Portal Nos. 1 and 3 <br />served as access to the A seam and the Anderson seam, respectively. The A seam (Mine No. 1) was <br />mined first by room-and-pillar and subsequently by the longwall method. The pitch of the longwall <br />is 26 degrees westerly. Eight continuous mining machines were used in the Anderson seam (Mine <br />No. 3). Longwall techniques were not used in Mine No. 3. <br /> <br />Coal from both mines was conveyed to a central surge bin and breaker via two elevated conveyor <br />systems. The office area, two coal storage silos, a wash plant, and a closed-system wash-water <br />recycling system were located adjacent to the breaker. Small amounts of coal were occasionally <br />stockpiled next to the coal silos. <br /> <br />The coal was <br />Coal for the silos was transported by truck to the train loadout via County Road 108. <br />then unloaded into a truck dump bin/60-ton hopper on the west side of the Roaring Fork River <br />and subsequently conveyed over the river to a surge bin located adjacent to the railroad spur <br />where coal was loaded directly into train cars. <br /> <br />The coal refuse disposal area was located about 1,500 feet east of the above- mentioned wash <br />plant. Coal refuse from the wash plant system, as well as underground development waste was <br />disposed of at this location. <br /> <br />The North Thompson Creek Mines filed for temporary cessation of operations on July 31, 1984 <br />and for permanent cessation status on August 15, 1986. <br /> <br />Reclamation of the mine and loadout facilities have involved two phases: an interim and a final <br />phase. The interim reclamation phase was ongoing and was designed to add to stability and <br />aesthetics during mining and to provide an opportunity for testing and improving revegetation <br />techniques. The specified goals of interim reclamation at the mine site were to stabilize slopes <br />and prevent erosion, improve wildlife habitat, and beautify the area. The interim plan at the <br />mine site included incremental seeding of the refuse area as the pile was constructed. The first <br />increment was seeded in 1979. <br /> <br /> <br />6 <br /> <br />