INSPEC09728

• Permit No: M1977300
• IBM Index Class Name: Inspection
• Doc Date: 8/10/2000
• Doc Name: MINERALS PROGRAM INSPECTION REPORT
• Inspection Date: 8/10/2000
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

e
MINE ID # OR PROSPECTI~ ID#
INSPECTION DATE: 8-10-00
M-1977-300 • PAGE: 2
INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: ACS
This was a monitoring inspection of the
request of Cotter Corporation. Cotte
reclamation to reduce the area of mi
possible while maintaining the ability
economic conditions. During the course
and Cotter representatives conferred on
areas of affected land and made certain
reclamation measures must be applied
responsibility. These determinations a
Schwartzwalder Mine conducted at the
r is in the process of conducting
ne related disturbance as much as
to resume production dependent on
of the inspection Division personnel
the condition and status of various
determinations as to what mined land
to gain release from reclamation
~e documented in this :ceport.
Inspection location no. 1: we proceeded up the borehole/adit access road to
a location just below the fan control building. The boreho:Le/adit access
road originates behind the mine office and switchbacks up the steep northeast
facing Ralston Creek Canyon slope. There is a deep road cut in the location
inspected. Cotter has recently completed a grading and backfilling job along
a portion of the road cut. In combination with this grading job, an adit
(Charley level) and raise were sealed and backfilled. 'Che raise was
completely filled with Charley mine dump material to approximately 50 feet
below ground surface. At this point a 10-foot concrete plug was installed
and the remainder of the raise was filled with dirt. Also, the grading
project exposed the edge of a stope. Cotter reports that the opening into
the stope was small and shallow and was easily stabilized and backfilled.
The approved reclamation plan for the road is to "pull downslope soil
material onto the roadway to as close to the original mountain contour as
possible" (7/23/85 technical revision). Cotter voiced the: concern that
sufficient downslope soil material does not appear to be available to
backfill the high road cut at the Charley adit location. Howfaver, it is the
Division's position that the large cut slope at this location is not an
acceptable post mining landform, and must be stabilized and reclaimed by
backfilling, sloping, and revegetation. There are a number of potential
borrow sources at the Schwartzwalder site in the event that :sufficient fill
is not available in the vicinity of the Charley adit. Borrowing material
from the east or west waste dumps is not recommended due to t:ze desirability
of having all the waste rock in consolidated, well-defined locations.
Inspection location no. 2: This inspection location is on the north and east
side of Ralston Creek and consists of abandoned cut and fill roads that were
used to access a shallow adit, exploration drilling locations, and probably
during installation of a utility line and poles. This location was viewed
from the overlook provided at inspection location no. 1. The road and
associated cuts have been revegetated through natural processes. The
Division determined that redisturbance of these aband~~ned roads by
backfilling and grading operations, thus destroying the vegetation that has
established would do more harm than good. The roads may remain as they are.
If it is decided that the power poles and lines at inspection location no. 2
must be removed, and if the removal operations result in extensive damage to
the existing vegetation, then the Division may require backfilling of the
road fill into the cut and revegetation. The procedure for determining if
the utility line may remain in place is taken from Rule 3.1.11 of the Hard