INSPEC12747 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

• (Page 2) • MINE ID ~ OR PROSPECTING ID q M-1985-031 INSPECTION DATE 7/25/00 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS RCO OBSERVATIONS This inspection was performed by the Division as part of its monitoring of Construction Materials 112 permits. The operator was contacted about the inspection but was present during the inspection. There was no activity or mine personnel at the site during the inspection. The site was secured by a locked steel gate at the east entrance. The permit ID sign was posted down in the pit. The permit boundary was observed to be adequately marked along the east and south boundaries, which is the main area of current disturbance. The areas of reclamation, active and past mining, and stockpiling all appeared to match the annual report map last submitted. The operator is proceeding according to the approved plan. The southeast part of the permit area is mainly reclaimed. It has been final graded, topsoiled and seeded. Some wheatgrasses and other perennials are evident, and were presumably some of the species seeded there. There are, however, several weed species also present in some abundance: cheat grass and squirreltail are plentiful, and there are scattered Canada thistle. The file indicates that the noxious weeds are periodically treated at the site. The operator should ensure that the noxious weeds are treated this fall and closely monitored in coming years, especially in areas that area reclaimed and which contain stockpiled topsoil. If the weeds spread, this could become a problem topic under the reclamation plan. The northern area of the permit is not disturbed yet. It is still in rangeland grasses and wooded. The southwest part of the permit is where the active mining has occurred recently. The excavation is preceded by stripping topsoil and overburden, and stockpiling them for reclamation. The south highwall is close to the permit boundary, and should not proceed farther south. Topsoil berms are along the shoulder of the north highwall also, and further mining there will damage the topsoil, unless the pile is moved. There appears to be a MSHA safety berm dozed up along the west highwall, created from topsoil. The operator should not use available soils in this manner, and in fact, areas should be stripped of soils farther from advancing highwalls. Water has been exposed in the southwest corner of the pit; there is a pond about 1 foot deep covering about 0.25 acre. A drain ditch has been dug along the south highwall, down into the underlying shale, and empties the water toward the east into the unmined gulch. The ditch is flowing, and no sediment transport is evident. There are several piles of crushed gravel in the pit. Equipment observed includes a semi trailer for storage in the east part of the pit; and 950 loader, conveyor stacker with hopper, and a small trailer-mounted generator in the west part of the pit. No fuels are stored at the pit, and there is no evidence of spilled fluids in the location of the equipment. Farther east, behind a product stockpile and about 50 feet from another drain ditch is an area used for storing several drums of oil and tube. A surface plume of very stained soils was observed leading away from a 55itallon oil drum. The oil may not have been spilled or carelessly handled by the operator, because the drum was shot full of bullet holes, which may have caused it to leak. Due to the amount of contaminated soil (covering an area of about 100-150 sg ftl and its proximity to a surface water conveyance, and possible oroximity to groundwater lif perched on the shale laver) the operator must clean up this area soon, and either remove offsite or provide secondary containment for all fluids stored onsite. Onsite disposal of these soils is possible, if dispersed over a large, dry surface area and turned occasionally. Please call this inspector to discuss options. At this time, the topic of "acid or toxic material" is noted as a problem. See the last page for the correction date. There were other minor amounts of debris noted on the site, including tree waste, burned timbers, waste asphalt, etc. These could be buried in a dry location during pit slope grading or backfilling. There were no other items noted during the inspection. For all questions or responses to this report, please contact this inspector at the following address or phone: 701 Camino del Rio, Room 125, Durango CO 81301; tel 970/247-5193 or fax 970/247-5104.