Laserfiche WebLink
West Elk Mine <br /> <br />1.0-3 Revised November 2004 PR10; 01/22- MR459 <br />The F Seam operations at West Elk Mine involved the room and pillar type mining method, which <br />utilized continuous miners, diesel face haulage, and electric roof bolters. This type of equipment <br />was the best suited for the conditions of the F Seam panels. The longwall mining method is utilized <br />in the B Seam and the E Seam. Panels are developed using continuous miner sections of <br />equipment. Depending on market conditions, two longwalls could be operated in these seams. Most <br />coal mined at West Elk Mine is marketed and shipped as crushed and screened run-of-mine coal. <br />Some coal is washed in a coal preparation plant to improve coal quality. <br /> <br />The major surface disturbance at West Elk Mine is the main facilities area, including the portals, <br />coal handling facilities, support buildings, and refuse disposal areas, mine ventilation borehole pads <br />and roads, and the Sylvester Gulch Facilities Area. Since the mine is an underground mine, the <br />surface disturbance (approximately 560 acres total at present) is small compared to the permit area <br />(approximately 19,855 acres with PR15) and the life of mine affected area (approximately 15,938 <br />acres). <br /> <br />Some additional surface disturbance may occur in the future for ventilation, dewatering, and mine <br />ventilation borehole installations, refuse disposal, and other facilities necessary for continued mine <br />operations. Changes to the coal handling facilities required for the increased longwall production <br />included upgrading the run-of-mine conveyor belt to 60 inches wide, adding dual crushers and a <br />screening circuit at the breaker building, relocating the main haul road and water treatment plant, <br />and adding coal stockpile stacking tubes with underground reclaim systems. Descriptions of these <br />facilities may be found in Section 2.05. The surface facilities will be reclaimed at the end of mining <br />operations as later described. <br /> <br />For the purposes of this application, the following terms are used in the document as defined below: <br /> <br />1. Mine Plan Area (Boundary): Means the area of land and water within the boundaries of all <br />permit areas during the entire life of the coal mining and reclamation operations. It includes all <br />areas that are or will be affected during the entire life of those operations. <br /> <br />2. Coal Lease Area (Boundary): Means the area of land and water within the boundaries of all <br />permit areas during the entire life of the coal mining operations that overlie Federal coal leases <br />and privately owned coal, but which do not necessarily include lands disturbed by surface <br />operations in the permit area. This area is shown on Map 1. <br /> <br />3. Permit Area (Boundary): Means the area of land and water within the boundaries of the permit <br />designated on Map 1, Map 1A, and described in Exhibit 2A. All areas that will be affected by <br />coal mining and reclamation operations during the five-year term of the permit or longer are <br />included. <br /> <br />4. Environmental Study Area (Boundary): Means an area, as delineated on Map 3, that extends <br />approximately one mile outside the permit boundary and mine plan boundary to encompass all <br />drainages and vegetation types on the property. A Riparian Area Protection Zone is depicted <br />on the map to show where surface occupancy cannot occur on Raven Creek. <br />