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 3)
NINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID # M-77-267
INSPECTION DATE 4 19 94

INSPECTOR'S INITIALS JCS
benches and hoe a elope that may, in places, exceed 70 degrees. There ie a veneer of gypsum
and related rock on parts of the face of the highwall which hoe broken and separated from
underlying, possibly more competent, rock and appears basically unstable to this inspector.
In some areas, the underlying rock, a presumably more stable limestone, hoe been exposed by
the mining or by slumping of the overlying gypsum veneer. The approved reclamation plan and
State Performance Standards, ie. Rule 6 of the Mineral Rules, call for all highwalle, if
retained, to be.etable. Although it ie this inspector's opinion that this highwall dose not
meet that requirement, an attempt will be made to secure evaluation by the Division's
geotechnical specialists and any appropriate suggestions as to how to qualify this feature
for closure.
There have been some attempts to reclaim the lower benched area east of the major highwall,
ie. Zinc Hi117. Both grasses and tree transplants have begun to be established in this area
which, consequently, largely appears stable to this inspector. There ie apparently similar
reclamation above the Gold Hill highwall although this area was not examined in detail.
Little reclamation effort hoe been expended on Copper Hill, a residual topographic high and
etratigraphic or etuctural anomaly that interrupts the northwestern trend of the gypsum beds
in the west central part of the quarry. Mining of gypsum woe, however, able to be extended
to the area northwest of Copper Hill. The company representative indicated that it was
intended, at one time, to push this residual high into the pit in the late stages of the
reclamation of the quarry.
According to the company representative, the gypsum bearing sequence of rocks ie cut off west
of the Copper Hill pit by a fault following the crest of a NE-SW trending topographic ridge.
Some unreclaimed disturbance was visible on the southern elope of this ridge but major
excavation of the gypsum ended. at the base of this elope.
The Northern Waste Dump hoe also received extensive reclamation effort. The waste material
hoe been shaped, furrowed, seeded with grasses and mulched starting in 1990. The development
of grasses was evident but not ae far advanced here as at Gilliepie Hill. No trees have been
transplanted in this area.
The reclamation of the Iron Hi11JSenatore Dump area ie at an even earlier stage. There ie
grass development even though there hoe been no irrigation of the area. Trees have also not
been introduced into this area of the reclamation. Reclamation efforts in the Magazine Hill
area, nearby and to the south of the Iron Hi1ljSenatore Dump, reportedly began much earlier,
ie. 1986 or so, following the same pattern of shaping, furrowing, seeding with grasses,
mulching and eventually the introduction of trees. The vegetation here is relatively well
advanced with the trees appearing to be doing well.
Ae this inspector understands the company representative, waste materials north of the pit
in the areas of the Iron Hill/Senators Dump and Magazine Hill were, at one time, intended
to be pushed south to fill parts of the excavated central area of the pit during final
reclamation. This presumably was to attain at least a 1:1 elope in the area of loose rock
as specified in the approved reclamation plan. Given the extent of the reclamation effort
currently expended in these areas, however, it appears that some clarification of the
company's intentions ae regards reclaiming this part of the quarry needs to be made. Not
only this but other areas of the quarry may not now be ae anticipated at the conclusion of
mining, eo if final reclamation ie now intended, an overall revision of the reclamation plan
may be necessary. Such revision should be formulated by the operator and proposed as a
technical revision or, more likely, a permit amendment for Division consideration. Ae much
of the currently approved reclamation plan as practical should be incorporated in the revised
plan, eq. the treatment of the dump areas.
This inepector•a impression of the overall reclamation requirements for the site, the fact
that the original bond was calculated on a per acre not Bite specific basis as is current
Division policy and that this bond hoe not been upgraded since originally provided suggest
that the bond requires re-evaluation for adequacy ae is current Division practice for 112 and
110 permit areas. The mine site will be revisited in the near future in conjunction with
with the re-evaluation of the bond. The operator will be advised of the results of the re-
evaluation se it ie completed. The earlier that any proposed revisions to the current
reclamation plan can be made known to the Division and favorably considered, the more
accurate that re-evaluation can be.