INSPEC22856 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

consent, I am issuing this report from DMG's Denver office. The ground was wet but the site was fully accessible. Signs and Markers During the inspection, I discussed with the operator s representative the need to mazk the new coal permit boundary, should the bond release be approved. Roads The road extending up the north side of the South Pit reclamation is severely gullied and needs repair (see discussion of Slides and Damage, below). Backfill and Grading The reclamation plan in the coal permit application (page 5-32) requires regrading of the backfill in the South pit area to the final approved postmining topography that is shown on Map 5-10 of the permit application. Backfilling and regrading in the South pit azea was completed in 2003. The regraded backfill in the South pit area appears to approximate a 2:1 slope in the upper part of the slope (in the former highwall area) and then flattens to nearly horizontal at the base of the slope. This slope configuration appears consistent with the required postmining topography shown on Map 5-10. No evidence of ground settlement was found in the highwall azea. No tension cracks were found at the top of the slope, and no compression bulges were found at the bottom of the slope. Drainage is directed away from the top of the slope by a berm. Drainage from the South pit and adjacent areas is routed to a ditch that is next to the main haul road. All surface drainage in the bond release azea reports to sediment control ponds. Support Facilities Old mining equipment, vehicles, and junk (all apparently related to the coal mine) remain on the south end of the coal permit boundary. This material is assumed to remain the reclamation obligation of the coal permittee and this area will remain with the coal permit boundary. Topsoil The reclamation plan in the permit application (page 5-32) calls for distributing 12-18 inches oftopsoil on the South pit azea. During the inspection topsoil depths were checked at several places in the South pit azea and were found to have at least 12 inches oftopsoil Revegetation The approved reclamation seed mix for the South pit azea is a mix of grasses and forbs (Table 5-6 in the permit application). The area reclaimed in the South Pit azea was seeded in 2003 as part of the Ewing pit sand and gravel operation. Vegetation is dominated by sunflower, crested wheatgrass, aster, kochia, Russian thistle, and clover. The herbaceous component of the revegetation is cun•ently faz outweighed by Russian thistle and kochia, which is not surprising given the relatively young age of this reclamation. The abundance of sunflower is surprising because sunflower was not in the approved