INSPEC11884

• Permit No: M1981057
• IBM Index Class Name: Inspection
• Doc Name: MINERALS PROGRAM INSPECTION REPORT
• Inspection Date: 1/14/1999
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

• (Page 2) •
MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID # M-81-057
INSPECTION DATE 01/14/99
INSPECTOR'S INITIALS ESC
This was an inspection of ttie Sprague- Red Lyons Mine conducted by Erica Crosby of the
Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology. The inspection was conducted to verify that permit
boundary markers were installed as required in the November 11, 1998 inspection report and
respond to a second citizen complaint letter received by the Division on January 4, 1999. The
letter was written by Dallas Maurer, and contains similar concerns noted in the anonymous
citizen complaint letter dated October 13, 1998. The main concerns by Dallas Maurer are as
follows;
1) Topsoil; Topsoil, trees, etc... are just pushed over the edge down into a pristine valley,
2) Rubble and big huge boulders are also pushed over the side. The top edge of the valley
has been extended now at .Least 50' from where it was 6 months ago,
3) Reclamation; For at least. eight years there hasn't been one attempt to reclaim anything
and now they are pushing everything over the edge a hundred feet or more clear to the
bottom- this stuff can't ]~e reclaimed at all.
4) Size of Quarry; Permit says 9.9 acres- well it surely looks like a lot more has been
destroyed than 9.9 acres.
5) Those quarry owners think they can just rape and pillage this land and they don't care
about anything else. They need to be put in check and kept that way. Since I have lived
here all my life and all this mass destruction needs to be contained.
Neil and Judy Sprague were provided a copy of the citizen complaint letter and the Division's
response letter dated January 7, 1999.
According to the operator mining has taken place on their property for a number of years,
prior to the Mineral Rules and Regulations of 1977. The Sprague- Red Lyons Mine contains
three separate quarries within a large area of pre-law disturbance. The three quarries are
marked with large white permit boundary markers. Each quarry area was surveyed with the
Global Positioning System (GPS to determine the affected area as well as the location of the
permit boundary markers. The GPS data was then corrected using the Pathfinder Office
Software to ensure a 3-5 meter level of accuracy. Quarry #1 is the most northerly site and
the total affected area is 2.9 acres (5 acres permitted). Quarry #2 is located southwest of
quarry #1 and is roughly 3.13 :acres (1.7 acres permitted). Quarry #3 is located to the south
of quarry #1 and quarry #2 anti the affected area is 2 acres (permitted for 3.0 acres). The
total affected area is 8.1 acres (9.9 acres permitted). See attached map for further detail.
As noted in the previous inspection, the operator dumped large rocks and overburden material
to the west of Steamboat Vall~=_y Road in an undisturbed canyon adjacent to Quarry #2. The
area was surveyed using the GPS, and the disturbance falls outside of the permit boundary
area roughly 150 feet wide and 200 feet down the canyon. The disturbance is roughly 0.33
acres in size. It appears that no topsoil or overburden was salvaged prior to disturbance in
the canyon. A large disturbance was also noted outside of the boundary of Quarry #3.
Material was pushed to the southeast to create a flat working bench. The disturbance is
roughly 250 feet long and 40 feet wide and roughly 15 feet high (0.2 acres of disturbance).
Based on the size and location. of the two disturbances, there appears be a violation of 34-
32.5-116(4)(1) for failing to protect areas outside of the affected area from slides or
damage during mining and reclamation operations. See page #4 for further detail, and
abatement due dates.