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New Elk Mine (C-1981-012)
<br />Description of the Operation and Reclamation Plan
<br />Of the 3,585 acres originally permitted at the New Elk Mine, 155 acres were already disturbed for
<br />working areas and facilities. Permit Revision #1 added 120 acres to the permit area, of which 36 acres
<br />were affected by new, proposed surface facilities. The resulting permit area encompassed 3,705 acres
<br />with 191 acres of surface disturbance. On October 26, 1998 the Division approved Phase I, II, and III
<br />bond release on 3,233.0 acres south of Highway 12 of further liability as per Division written policy
<br />for release of areas overlying underground workings. Of the 3,233.0 acres included in SLI, 597.0 had
<br />been undermined, but none of the acreage had been disturbed at the surface. Included in this area are
<br />two small areas of surface disturbance (the Apache Canyon ventilation shafts), which were transferred
<br />to the Golden Eagle Mine permit, #C-81-013. The resulting permit area totaled about 900 acres.
<br />The Division approved a partial Phase 1 Bond Release No.2 (SL2) on November 16, 2006, for 35.14
<br />acres. SL2 approved completion of demolition of structures, backfill, and grading, of 19.08 acres at
<br />the East portal, and 16.06 acres at the West portal. SL2 also released liability for activities that had
<br />previously received approval but had never been implemented. Liability release of activities never
<br />implemented also removed approval of these activities from the permit.
<br />The existing operation at the time of original permitting consisted of several benches used for storage,
<br />office building, shop buildings, railroad tracks, two portals, conveyors, coal silos, substations, fans,
<br />air shafts, a water tank, a parking lot, four sediment ponds, ditches, culverts, roads, and a refuse
<br />disposal area. Surface facilities added as a result of permitting actions included a refuse disposal
<br />valley fill and sediment pond north of Highway 12, two new topsoil stockpiles, coal stockpiles,
<br />conveyors, a preparation plant and thickener tank, and the Jansen Loadout.
<br />A coal processing plant currently exists at the mine. However, it is presently not in operation. In 2011,
<br />NECC constructed a new set of portals (Bates Portals) located southeast of the coal silos. The mine
<br />plan is shown on Map 3. The Mine plan for the Blue seam progresses eastward and southward. In
<br />May 2011, NECC reopened the Allen seam as well. Allen seam mine plan progresses mainly to the
<br />south and east. Coal is mined by continuous miners. In July 2012, NECC suspended coal extraction
<br />and the mine is in Temporary Cessation.
<br />A Refuse Disposal Area (RDA) was constructed north of Highway 12 as a valley fill. Coal is processed
<br />at the New Elk Mine. Previous operation of the New Elk Mine processed coal from the Lorencito
<br />Canyon Mine. Coal refuse is transported by conveyor over Highway 12 and deposited in the RDA
<br />north of the highway. Pond cleaning material and small quantities of rock were added to the original
<br />refuse pile, now referred to as the Development Waste Pile (DWP) southwest of the main mine
<br />entrance. The DWP reached its maximum size in late 2006 and was regraded, topsoiled, and reseeded.
<br />Construction of the Bates portals and development of workings to access the Blue seam coal seam
<br />resulted in excavation and construction of a subsoil stockpile and a development waste disposal area
<br />(DWDA#2). The DWDA#2 is located southeast of the main entrance. In 2012, the Division approved
<br />construction of a small material storage area for disposal of development waste during NECC's
<br />permitting (TR65) of a third Development Waste Disposal Area, DWDA#3, located at the previously
<br />reclaimed west portal area.
<br />Following the start up of mining operations in 2011, most of the surface facilities were for a time, put
<br />New Elk Mine C1981 012 Mid Term 7 Page 8
<br />Date: August 2016 Prepared by: R. Reilley File location: M:\Coal\Findings
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