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(Page 2) <br />MINE ID / OR PROSPECTING ID f N-80-249 <br />INSPECTION DATE 12/13/96 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS TAS <br />OBSERVATION3 <br />1. The Houchin Pit was inspected as part of the normal inspection and enforcement program. <br />The Pit is permitted for 3 acres of disturbance with a financial warranty of $3,500. The <br />operator hopes to level the property and reclaim to a future business site. <br />2. No significant mining or reclamation activity has taken place at the site since the <br />previous inspection by Jim Dillie on January 14, 1993. Mr. Houchin indicated that he ie <br />considering starting reclamation at the site. Review of the annual report file indicates <br />that activity at the Bite has been intermittent at least since 1990. For the operator's <br />benefit, it seems appropriate to either file a request for temporary cessation in accordance <br />with the provisions of Rule 1.13 (see attached copy) or begin final reclamation of the pit <br />during 1997. Once final reclamation has begun, the operator has a period of 5 years to <br />demonstrate achievement of reclamation according to the approved plan. <br />3. A significant portion of the permit area is currently disturbed. The operator has <br />regraded the working face of the pit to a long continuous slope estimated to be between 2:1 <br />and 3:1 and 500 feet long. This inspector expressed concern to Mr. Houchin regarding the <br />potential for erosion of the regraded elope when configured to a 3:1 during final <br />reclamation. The elope currently exhibits characteristics of rill erosion and appears to <br />have a strong potential for developing more serious erosion due to the erodibility of the <br />overburden material plus the long elope length. The overburden material appears to be a <br />highly erodable fine sand. These soil characteristics and those of the surrounding landscape <br />indicate that establishment of a vegetative cover is critical to elope stability. The <br />operator has salvaged and stockpiled the small volume of topsoil available at the Bite. <br />However, it appears that there will not be enough topsoil to provide a cover of at least 6 <br />inches over the entire regraded area. It ie this inspector's opinion that a topsoil cover <br />of lase than 6 inches will not be adequate for establishment of grasses and shrubs and will <br />therefore result in significant erosion at the Bite. This potential scenario will require <br />a substantial effort on the part of the operator to make necessary repairs and ultimately <br />achieve financial warranty release. <br />4. The current reclamation plan ie comprised of a list of recommendations written by a <br />District Conservationist from the E1 Paeo Soil Conservation District in 1980. The list <br />includes grading elopes to 3:1 or lees, replacing topsoil at a thickness of 2-4" after <br />grading, installing terraces and other grade control structures as necessary, seeding, and <br />applying fertilizer and mulch. The Division has accepted and approved this plan; however, <br />this inspector suggests that Mr. Houchin clarify this plan and modify ae necessary in order <br />to achieve stable elopes during reclamation. This correspondence can be sent to the Division <br />and treated as a technical revision. <br />5. The Houchin Pit is adjacent to a pit that has been previously reclaimed and released from <br />reclamation responsibility by the Division in 1994. The adjacent pit contains a aeries of <br />highwalle and vegetated benches. This elope configuration appears to contain minimal erosion <br />and a vegetative cover equal or greater in extent than the surrounding landscape. The <br />Division would welcome such a elope configuration at the Houchin Pit. Other alternatives for <br />reclamation at the Houchin Pit include application of surface grading techniques that create <br />furrows, small basins, or other structures to ^roughen" the surface and break up the long <br />elope length. Attached ie information on reclamation equipment that can be used during <br />grading to create such structures. <br />I & E Contact Address cc: <br /> ^ CE <br />NAME Charles W. Houchin ^ BL <br />OPERATOR Houchin. Inc. ^ FS <br />STREET P.O. Box 162 ^ HW <br />CITY/STATE/ZIP Green Mnt. Falls. CO 80819 ^ HMWMD (CH) <br /> ^ SE <br /> ^ WQCD (CH) <br /> ^ OTHER <br />