INSPEC23020 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

F-.-: May 31, 2005 Seneca Coal Company (SCC) P.O. Box 670 Hayden, CO 81639 Seneca II West Mine Contemporaneous reclamation evaluation May 24, 2005 Participants: Roy Karo, SCC Dan Matthews, Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (DMG) Henry Austin, Office of Surface Mining (OSM) I participated in a special focus evaluation of contemporaneous reclamation at the Seneca II W mine with the above participants. This mine and special focus topic were selected by the joint DMG / OSM Oversight Team for evaluation during 2005. Weather conditions were mild with localized rain showers; and ground conditions were mostly dry. Mr. Matthews oriented the inspection participants, along with Jay James, SCC, by reviewing and discussing the current DMG permit and appropriate maps that depicted the approved mining areas, backfilling and grading areas (Exhibit 19-1A), the 2004 Annual Reclamation Report, and the reclamation schedule. We also discussed the major permit revisions that DMG has recently received from SCC for both the Seneca II W Mine and the Yoast Mine. SCC (a Peabody Western subsidiary) determined during the fall of 2004 that stripping operations at these two mines will be phased out over the next two years. We decided to limit our review to the currently approved mining and reclamation plan, while remaining aware that the backfilling, grading, and mining priorities have changed, and will continue to change rapidly with the SCC decision to phase out operations here. These changes are reflected in the permit revisions under DMG review. We made stops and observations at the following:~D Pit area is completely reclaimed, and the only additional work anticipated here is to reduce the access road width. Contract weed spraying will occur here during the next two weeks. We noted weed growth along the access road. The entire Pit A & B areas are reclaimed in accordance with (ahead of schedule) the backfilling and grading plan. The former Wadge Pit areas were located here. SCC decided in 2004 to discontinue highwal] mining in the Wadge Pits that included 2 miles of final cut area. SCC accelerated their backfilling and grading plan here due to the decision to forgo highwal] mining. Approximately 2 acres along the main reconstructed drainway remain to be topsoiled and seeded; and approx. another 20 acres need to be seeded. Completion of the Wadge Pit backfilling and grading eliminated the majority of the "worst case disturbance" area used to calculate the cun'ent bond ($9.7 million) approved in PR-4. The Ridgeline Pit has also been completely backfilled and graded, was topsoiled during the past 2 weeks, and remains to be seeded. We stopped at the east boundary of the disturbed area at the Ridgeline Pit at one of the aspen plots. This plot is partially inundated, and we made seneral observations here.