INSPEC10814

• Permit No: C1984067
• IBM Index Class Name: Inspection
• Doc Date: 9/14/2007
• Doc Name: Findings of Compliance and Proposed Decision for Reduced Inspection Frequency
• From: DRMS
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Introduction
This document presents the findings and proposed decision of the Colorado Division of
Reclamation, Mining and Safety ("Division") for a reduction in the inspection frequency
of the Coal Gulch Mine. The Coal Gulch Mine is an underground coal mine where
mining activities were most recently conducted under mining and reclamation permit C-
84-067, which was revoked in 1988. The site is located in La Plata County, Colorado,
4.5 miles west of the town of Durango, next to U.S. Highway 160 on the north side of
the road. The permit area is located on private and state lands in portions ofNW'/oNW'/4,
N''/2 SW%<NW '/< Section 22, N%zNW'/a, and NE'/4 Section 21, and Section 16, all
located in T35N, R10W, of the New Mexico Principal Meridian. Coal ownership is
private and state. The permit area encompassed 725 acres, of which 16.5 acres of land
surface were disturbed.
History of Permit and Operations
Permit C-84-067 was issued to Peerless Resources Inc. in 1984. The pennittee disturbed
16.5 acres on the site in preparation for underground mining, but ceased operations prior
to excavating a portal and underground entries. Some coal was surface-mined when the
coal seam was exposed. The Mined Land Reclamation Board revoked permit C-84-067 in
January 1988 for multiple unabated violations, and ordered forfeiture of the $140,000
reclamation bond in September 1990. (Permit C-84-067 encompassed the area formerly
covered by Minerals Program permit 77-3 ug/c, with the exception of a portal bench area
for which permit application C-81-042 was submitted for the Arness-McGriffin Mine but
was never approved because it was incomplete.)
Reclamation Completed
The Division's Inactive Mined Lands Program reclaimed the disturbed area on the Coal
Gulch site in September 1994 using all of the funds from the forfeiture of bond associated
with permit C-84-067. The work was conducted by private contractors, and included:
1. Backfilling as much of the exposed highwall from the old pit as money would
allow;
2. Allowing natural drainage from the existing gulches to pass through "French"
drains at the foot of each gulch;
3. Backfilling exposed coal seams;
4. Topsoiling and revegetating the disturbed area;
5. Regrading and revegetating for treatment of mine water discharge from a portal
on the site from apre-law mine portal.
The Division had the site sprayed for thistle in 2001. No additional funds are available
for site maintenance.
General Stability of Reclaimed Area
Generally, the Division's inspections have found no changes on the Coal Gulch site from