2019-03-01_INSPECTION - M1988052

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PERMIT#:M-1988-052 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS:JPL INSPECTION DATE:January 25,2019 OBSERVATIONS The Big R Pit was inspected by Patrick Lennberg and Michael Cunningham with the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (Division/DRMS).The inspection was to observe the current status of the site after performing a Surety Related inspection at the Miller Pit.The site can be accessed from the west via Hunt Circle, which intersects Co Rd 21 to the west.The site can also be accessed from the south via Hunt Circle, which intersects Co Rd 29 to the east. It should be noted the northern permit boundary is directly adjacent to a 112c permit, called Miller Gravel Pit, Permit No. M-1982-112.The site was previously inspected by the Division on April 28, 2017. The permittee for the Big R Pit is the Estate of Rick L Hunt, following the death of Mr. Hunt. MidFirst Bank is handling Mr. Hunt's estate. The land that contains the permit was auctioned off to Colorado Farms LLC which purchased other land owned by the estate during an auction process. Since the land was sold and transferred to Colorado Farms LLC, the Division does not have a current copy of the Legal Right-to-Enter as required by Rule 6.3.7 and is being cited as a problem in this report. The Big R Pit is a 110c operation permitted for 9.9 acres to mine sand and gravel. A shop and office building originally used by Hunt Construction, now used by Colorado Farms, and its associated parking lot is located just east of the permit area. A garage is located between the eastern permit boundary and the shop and office building. There used to be a single-wide trailer located next to the garage but is now gone.The site is divided by an interior road into two pit areas, north and south.The north pit contains a large topsoil stockpile along the north boundary and a shallow, regraded excavation area in the remaining area. The south pit contains a mining area with 1H:1V highwall slopes of up to 15 feet in height. It was noted in the 2017 inspection there were two erosion features in the southwest highwall that were approaching the permit boundary. Due to snow cover these erosion features could not be verified. It does appear that the southern area is being used as a dump location for dirt being brought in from another area. It is unknown who is hauling in this material. The approved reclamation plan calls for grading all highwalls to 3H:1V or flatter, ripping stockpiling areas and any temporary haul roads, replacing an average depth of 6 inches of topsoil across disturbed land, and revegetating the site for a post-mining land use of rangeland. In the 2016 inspection report it was documented that mining ceased in May 2015 and the deadline for final reclamation was May 2020.The 2017 inspection noted Diffuse Knapweed, a List B noxious weed listed on Colorado's Noxious Weed List, throughout the site with a large patch located in the northeast corner of the site and extending off site. The diffuse knapweed must be controlled and monitored prior to the start and during the reclamation process. The presence of the knapweed could prevent the establishment of reclamation grasses and delay the release of the permit by the Division. While the permittee has kept up to date paying annual fees, it appears that little to no activity has taken place at the site for a period of time. Because it appears that the permit area is being used for purposes other than mining or reclamation the Division recommends the permittee begin active reclamation and work with current landowner to prevent unauthorized dumping into the permit boundary that would increase liability. Photographs taken during the inspection are attached. Page 3 of 8