INSPEC29023 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

(Page 2) MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID # M-2004-078 INSPECTION DATE 03/04/05 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS ESC OBSERVATIONS This was a pre-operation inspection of the Lupton Lakes Resource site, File No. M-2004-078, conducted by Erica Crosby and Tom Schreiner of the Colorado Division of Minerals & Geology. Russ Otterstein and Steve Davis of SW TKO Joint Venture, LLC and Danna Ortiz, Karen Flanders and Brad Hagen of Civil Resources, LLC were present during the inspection, SW TKO Joint Venture, LLC filed a new 112 Construction Materials Application with the Division on January 16, 2005. The Division's recommendation due date is set for April 19, 2005. Written objections have been filed by the City of Fort Lupton, the Colorado Department of Transportation and Georgia Landrus. Therefore, this matter will be scheduled for a hearing before the Mined Land Reclamation Board. The mine site is located approximately 1 mile south of the City of Fort Lupton, between Highway 85 and Weld County Road 27 in Weld County, Colorado. The applicant proposes a 331- permit area that encompasses the Wiant, Gurule, Villano, Sasaki, Adams, Watada and Yokooji properties. Most of these properties are currently under agricultural production. The proposed postmining land use is a water storage reservoir. Mining will be conducted in 17 phases ranging in size from 11.3 acres on the north end to 25.5 acres on the south end. Mining will progress from north to south. The sand and gravel is an alluvial deposit that ranges in thickness from approximately 30 feet to 50 feet in depth. The pit will be dry mined and dewatering trenches will be constructed. Settling ponds located in the processing area will be used to wash the aggregate. Topsoil will be salvaged and segregated from other soil. The reclamation plan proposes to create two water storage reservoirs built of a clay liner. The clay material will be obtained from the bottom of the pit floor and constructed in lifts to the finished grade of 3.Sh:ly. Topsoil will be place to a depth of 12 inches above the surrounding finished grade and revegetated. During the inspection, the Division was informed that the silt pond west of area 2 would no longer be a component of the proposed mining and reclamation plan. The applicant stated that this area would be removed from ,the affected land boundaries. The Division reviewed the site for drainage control for processing water and dewatering, Additional detail needs to be provided regarding the routing of water to facilitate mining. In addition, the application must further describe the outlet structures used to discharge water off site. A number of permanent man made structures surround the property including buildings, utility lines, gas wells, gas lines, ditches and roads. The applicant's stability analysis is currently under review by the Division to determine if offset distances from these structures are adequate. Hydrologic impacts were discussed and reviewed during the inspection. The applicant has installed lI piezometers around the permit area. Monitoring 9 of the wells began in June of 2004 (under permit M-2003-012), and the applicant intends to have 13 months of baseline before mining begins. The applicant did not locate any water wells in the vicinity of the property on any of the exhibits submitted with the application. The applicant must depict all water wells (domestic and irrigation) and demonstrate how the operator will minimize impacts to their water rights. In addition, the applicant proposes mitigation measures in the form of recharge ponds and injection wells. Such structures will need to be incorporated into the permit area. The hydrologic model prepared by Civil Resources, LLC. is currently under review by the Division and comments will be handled under separate cover. All other adequacy issues have been noted in the Division's adequacy letter of March 8, 2005.