INSPEC10186

• Permit No: M1977247
• IBM Index Class Name: Inspection
• Doc Name: MINERALS PROGRAM INSPECTION REPORT
• Inspection Date: 4/19/1994
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

(Page 2)
MINE ID f OR PROSPECTING ID ~ M-77-267
INSPECTION DATE 4 19 94 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS JCS
OBSERVATIONS
This was a normal monitoring inspection conducted in company with representatives of the
operator, Ray Hartviksen and Ken Klco.
The Coaldale Quarry has been in Temporary Cessation since late in 1990 although reclamation
efforts, begun in the 1970'e while the mine was active, continued during 1991, 1992, and
1993. Reportedly, the operator has plane under consideration for additional reclamation
efforts during the summer of 1994. Mr. Klco estimated that, at thin time, some 60 acres of
the 100 acres of affected land were in some phase of reclamation.
The current intention of the operator, according to the company representatives at the time
of this inspection, is to complete the reclamation of the site and close the operation. The
operator's wall board plant in Florence, Colorado, captive to this mining operation, has been
closed for some time and ie now anticipated to be sold in the near future and transported to
another location.
The mine ID sign, posted near the gate to the property, does not meet the requirements of
Rule 6.7 and, since the mine will be active, ie. involved in final reclamation for some
several years, the sign should be put in compliance. Discussions with the operator's
representatives during subsequent stages of the inspection also established that the
boundaries of the affected area had not been marked, ae required by Rule 6.7. The Division
requires that this also be done in areas where the margins of the affected area are not
clearly distinguishable from the areas not disturbed by the permitted mining operation.
Markers can be made of almost anything that can be identified in the field and followed by
an inspector from point to point along the boundary.
The inspection began at the office-shop area located in the northeast part of the permit
area. The buildings in this complex are currently being used by a local contractor to store
and maintain hie equiptment. This inspector's review of the reclamation plan did not reveal
any specific commitment to remove these buildings ae part of final reclamation of the mine;
although it ie assumed that they will be removed in order to achieve the approved poet-mining
land use of "wildlife habitat". Given the approach in the calculation of reclamation bonding
now being followed by the Division, these and any other structures on the mine site will have
to be evaluated in detail as to cost of removal.
The crusher ie currently located, more or less, in the central part of the permit area where
gypsum mining has been completed. There ie a sizable concrete retaining wall and a large
pile of material also located in this area. In order to complete closure of the mine, the
crusher will have to be removed, the concrete wall broken down and removed or buried, and the
stockpiled material either transported to a more appropriate disposal site or graded out,
covered and revegated in place.
At the Gilliepie Hill Dump, reclamation has progressed to the extent that parts or all of
this area might qualify for release. Mining in the area of the quarry was begun in the early
1990's and was not accompanied by the salvage of what is generally limited top soil until
much later in the mining history. The Gilliepie Hill Dump has been reclaimed without topsoil
by shaping and deeply furrowing the waste rock or contaminated ore, seeding with grasses,
mulching and then introducing tree transplants. The area has developed a significant amount
of grassy cover, probably less than 30 percent, but the mine ie located in a semi-arid
climate where comparative vegetative cover of undisturbed areas, even under the beet of
conditions, ie relatively sparse. The transplants also appear to be developing nicely but
apparently have to be protected from foraging wildlife.
South of Gilliepie Hill ie an area called by the company representative the "fines dump".
This area has also been shaped and furrowed, seeded with grass and mulched. The area has
developed aome vegetative cover but revegation efforts in this area are more recent than at
Gilliepie Hill. This area was not closely examined.
At Gold Hill, a significant high wall has been developed by the mining operations. the
company representative estimated that the vertical height of this might exceed 200 feet.
There is a broad working bench at the base of the highwall and parts of the highwall to the
east and west have smaller benches at higher levels that are residual from the mining
operations. The central and highest portion of the highwall, however, has no residual