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<br />Williams Fork Mines Prepared by: R. Reilley M.S. GISP <br />C1981044 5 November 2018 <br /> <br /> <br /> 9 <br />various suckers and minnows, mottled sculpin, rainbow trout and mountain whitefish. <br /> <br />Cultural and Historic Resources. Exhibit 6 of the Williams Fork Mines permit contains the extensive results <br />of cultural and historic resources inventories that were conducted within and the permit area and in portions of <br />the surrounding area. <br /> <br />Land Uses. Land uses within the surface disturbed area are cropland, pastureland and rangeland/wildlife <br />habitat. Mining has occurred within the permit area since the 1930s. Much of the area has been previously <br />disturbed by surface and/or underground mining activities. The Williams Fork Mines have been in existence <br />since 1971. <br /> <br /> <br />Summary of the Mine Operation Plan <br /> <br />Current Operational Status. Operations at the Williams Fork Mines were placed in temporary <br />cessation on December 3, 1995 due to market conditions. In 2008-2010, MCM conducted <br />several reclamation activities at the site and the operation was placed back into active status. In <br />July of 2013, the Division approved MCM’s request to be placed back in temporary cessation <br />status. At this time, MCM is performing reclamation of the site and therefore is in active status, <br />as of a letter from Peabody Inc dated 9 November 2016. The Williams Fork Mines consist of <br />three underground mines, the Nos. 5, 6, and 9, and a reclaimed surface mine known as the <br />Williams Fork Strip Pit No. 2 and the Utah Tract which was an area mined and reclaimed by <br />Utah International (Trapper Mining, LLC.’s predecessor). The No. 5 portal was permanently <br />sealed in 1997 and partially backfilled. The coal storage area, surface conveyors, silos and No. 5 <br />yard and warehouse area remain intact. The Mine No. 5A portals were sealed in 2003. The 5A <br />portal ventilation fan was idled and awaits resumption of mining activities. The No. 9 Mine <br />permanently ceased mining activities in 1985. The portal area of the No. 9 Mine was used for a <br />coal processing waste pile, as approved in the permit application, and has been reclaimed but has <br />not been released from any reclamation liability. <br /> <br />MCM ceased pumping water out of the No. 5 Mine workings. Water previously pumped was <br />pumped through ponds 5-P5, 5-P6 and 5-P7 (in sequence) and discharged into the Williams Fork <br />River. The discharge point (at 5-P7) is an NPDES discharge point (NPDES 003) and is <br />monitored for various NPDES parameters. <br /> <br />MCM did complete some reclamation and demolition in the spring of 2008. The buildings that <br />were demolished include the compressor house, old shop, Oakie Plaza well shop, No. 9 <br />warehouse, B&S shop, bathhouse, guard shack and fence, lab trailer and sample building, well <br />house by B&S shop, little shed south of Wise Hill portal, old carpenter shop and contractor <br />staging area, old (AML) mine site, rock dust tank #1 and rock dust tank #2. All of these areas <br />were regraded, the topsoil was replaced where possible, and the areas were seeded with the <br />rangeland seed mix. The demolition debris was buried in the solid waste disposal area on the <br />east side of Colorado highway 13, by the waste disposal area. The solid waste disposal area was <br />permitted through Technical Revision 34. <br /> <br />Permit Area, Disturbed Area, and Production Volumes. The permit area covers approximately