INSPEC22397 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

• (Page 2) MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID # M-81-303 INSPECTION DATE 10/16/98 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS ESC This was an inspection of the Pine Ridge Pit conducted by Erica Crosby of the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology. Jene Hansen of ACA was present during the inspection. Weather conditions on site were clear and cool. Ground conditions were dry. The mine site is located 6 y, miles southwest of Leadville and is permitted to affect 9.9 acres. Records indicate that the site has not been inspected by the Division. The 110 permit was issued by the Division in 1982. Amine sign was posted at the mine entrance, but with a different operator than Pine Ridge Development Company. If Pine Ridge Development is no longer the operator, then the permit, bond and performance warranty will need to be transferred to the applicable entity. A transfer application and performance warranty is enclosed. The site consists of a working pit area, subsoil piles, topsoil piles and a working area containing a crushing and screening facility. The pit is roughly 30 feet deep on average, and no ground water was noted. Trucks were being loaded with sand and gravel during the inspection. Permit boundary markers were located at all four corners of the pit, and the affected area was well outside the marked area. The Division used a Trimble GeoExplorer II Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine the affected boundary of the mining operation. The Division collected data by traversing the perimeter of the affected area. The data recorded in the GPS unit was downloaded into the Pathfinder Office software and was differentially corrected to reduce errors. The collected data indicates that the Pine Ridge Pit is 20.9 acres in size. This is roughly 11 acres over the permitted area. A 4 acre stripped area was also noted south of the pit. It appears that this area was stripped of vegetation and topsoil foz future development of the pit to the south. The GeoExplorer II has a 2-5 meter level of accuracy. A copy of the generated map is enclosed for reference. Based on data collected with the GPS, is apparent that mining operations have been conducted outside of the approved affected area boundary. Therefore, there is a reason to believe that a violation exists for mining outside the approved affected area or that the operator is mining without a permit. The possible violation and correction actions are noted as follows; The operator failed to first obtain a reclamation permit prior to engaging in a new operation in accordance with 34-32.5-109(1) of the Colorado Land Reclamation Act for the Extraction of Construction Materials or the operator failed to protect areas outside of the affected land from slides or damage during the mining and reclamation operations in accordance with 34- 32.5-116 (4)(i) of the same Act. The operator will need to submit a 112 conversion application. The application should update M-S1-303 so the total affected area and all present and future disturbances that have occurred and/or will occur as a result of this operation will be included in the permit area. A complete 112 conversion application must be submitted by December 15, 1998 and approved by March 15, 1999 (or April 14, 1999 if comments are received).