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} <br />INE SITE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT PAGE 6 <br />Mt. Gunnison Mine <br />GENERAL COMMENTS <br />West Elk Coal Company <br />P.O. Box 490 <br />Paonia, CO 81428 <br />A complete oversight inspection was conducted by the Office of Surface <br />Mining (OSM) of the Mt. Gunnison mine on June 30, 1983. The inspection <br />included a review of the authorizations to operate and a physical <br />inspection of the surface facilities and disturbed areas. <br />Several items regarding record keeping, routine maintenance, and recla- <br />mation scheduling were discussed in the course of the inspection. Par- <br />ticular attention was devoted to reviewing the subsidence monitoring <br />plan as approved in a technical revision as of June 8, 1983. <br />Provisions of the subsidence monitoring plan will not be implemented for <br />some time. A new test panel lzas been designated in the recently approv- <br />ed plan. Subsidence monitoring is scheduled for the fifth year of <br />mining upon retreat mining of the pillars in the subsidence panel. <br />Present mining still consists of driving the main and submain entries <br />and subsequent coal removal. No subsidence monuments have been <br />constructed to date. . <br />Maximum subsidence to be expected was calculated on the basis of two <br />sets of data. The estimates indicated that maximum subsidence will <br />range from 25 to 36 percent of the seam thickness, given other assump- <br />tions, or from 1.8 feet to 2.6 feet. A proposed upper waste rock pile <br />will not be created until the sixth year of mining. The pile is to be <br />located north of the first subsidence test panel and will not be under- <br />mined until final retreat mining in the fortieth year. A spring in <br />Sylvester Gulch will be affected by subsidence involving water rights <br />already held by ARCO. <br />Unstable landslide conditions exist during periods of soil saturation at <br />the mine. A number of slides occurred as a result of the heavy snowfall <br />and spring snowmelt condtions that were experienced this past spring. <br />The West Elk Coal Company has undertaken measures to regrade and <br />stabilize the slide areas. Additionally, the MLRD is requiring the com- <br />pany to submit plans for stabilizing the slides in a continuing effort <br />to deal with the slide prone areas. No major damage appears to have <br />been caused as a result of the slides, which apparently had stopped <br />moving by the time this inspection was conducted. OSh1 believes the <br />Mined Land Reclamation Division and the permittee~ ~sabisfactorily <br />addressing these londitions. <br />Discussions continue with the Division on a number of issues However, <br />no violations were noted at the time of the spection. <br /> <br /> <br />r <br />