2024-03-12_REVISION - C1981022 (18)

Home Browse Search

recharge area. No known wells are completed in the sandstones of the Upper Mesaverde Formation above the mine workings. The valley in which the towns of Paonia and Somerset are situated is semi-arid, with annual precipitation averaging about 15 inches per year. Mean annual precipitation increases with elevation, reaching over 40 inches per year near the summit of Mt. Owen. The May to September precipitation is five inches for the lowlands and 13 inches for the mountain peaks. This indicates that snowfall patterns play an important part in determining the hydrologic conditions of the area. Temperature extremes at Paonia have ranged from—28°F in January to 100°F during July and August. The average annual temperature is approximately 49°F. Snowfall averages 58 inches per year. The general area in which the Elk Creek Mine is located is characterized by steeply sloping mountains covered either with tall shrub vegetation dominated by oak brush and serviceberry or stands of pinyon and juniper trees. Drainages in the area are lined with riparian vegetation communities along the stream banks. Some of the more level areas have been cleared and support limited livestock grazing; however, the surrounding land is generally undeveloped and is used primarily as wildlife habitat. Recreational activities such as big game hunting, trapping, fishing, and off-road driving also occur in the general area. The Elk Creek portal facilities are approximately a half of a mile up the Elk Creek canyon from the town of Somerset and are located at the contact of the alluvium of the North Fork and steep upland sedimentary formations. The Sanborn Creek Tract portal facilities were just east of Sanborn Creek or approximately one mile east of the town of Somerset. Description of the Operation and Reclamation Plans The Somerset and Sanborn Creek Mines, now the Elk Creek Mine, were in operation from 1902 to 2013. Operations evolved from the earlier hand method of mining, to continuous mining methods, and, finally, to longwall mining. The conventional room and pillar mining system used continuous miners, shuttle cars, conveyors and/or rail cars. All coal was transported to the surface using rail cars. Approximately 12 to 14 feet of the B seam were mined in the development and retreat cycle. Annual production in the mine was approximately 900,000 tons per year. Once at the surface, the rail cars dumped the coal at the dump station where it was conveyed to the coal tipple. The coal was crushed at the tipple and conveyed to the coal storage silo. The silo, a cylindrical cement structure, straddled the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad track and was used to load unit trains. The Sanborn Creek addition was located approximately one mile east of the town of Somerset. Initially, this portion of the mine was developed and mined using conventional room and pillar 7