Laserfiche WebLink
III. COMMENTS -COMPLIANCE <br />Below are comments on the inspection. The comments include discussion of observations made <br />during the inspection. Comments also describe any enforcement actions taken during the <br />inspection and the facts or evidence supporting the enforcement action. <br />This was a complete inspection conducted by Janet Binns and Kirstin Fisher of CDMG. The focus of this inspection <br />was collection of vegetation data. Vegetative cover, herbaceous production and woody stem density data was <br />collected. The results of this sampling will be utilized to determine if success vegetation has been established in <br />anticipation of DMG culmination of responsibility of the site. The mine is a reclaimed surface mine which the bond <br />and permit have been revoked. In 2002, Colorado experienced a serious drought. 2003 has seen a recovery in <br />precipitation levels for the first 6 months of the year. Vegetation on the reclaimed mine site has responded <br />favorably. The mine site was dry at the time of this inspection. <br />The land surface lessee stopped by during this inspection. Mr. Max Vezzani leases the land surface. Mr. Dennis <br />Welling is the landowner. Mr. Welling has a Castlerock, CO address. Cattle had not been on this site yet this <br />grazing season. Evidence of past cattle use was noted during the inspection. <br />Visually the site is dominated by field bindweed and perennial grasses. Cover was measured at 30.9%. Field <br />bindweed was included in the cover measurement since it is not considered a noxious species in Huerfano County. <br />Herbaceous wet biomass production was measured at a mean of 113 g/MZ. Production was measured by clipping all <br />current years herbaceous vegetation falling within %: Meter quadrats. Biomass will be dried and reweighed. Success <br />standards are based on dry herbaceous biomass. Due to the high variance among the production plots , 50 'h-Meter <br />quadrats were collected. <br />Vegetation throughout the mine site was fair. Except for field bindweed, there were few weedy species. Musk <br />thistles and occasional annual mustards were still present on the site, though perennial grasses seem to have become <br />fairly well established. Warm season native grasses were encountered fairly frequent throughout the site. <br />Small areas showed evidence of erosional deposition at the base of short steeper slopes. These areas specifically had <br />less vegetative cover than surrounding areas. These areas were short (-30 ttJ in length, and were not forming <br />extensive gullies. <br />Lined lizards, insects and wolf spiders were the only wildlife observed on this mine site. Frogs were present in pond <br />K but not observed. Pond K was holding a shallow pool of water several feet below the spillway. Eroding of the <br />Northern embankment of Pond K has occurred. The pond in incised on this northern boundary so the pond is not in <br />danger of failing. These erosional features are encroaching underneath the fence line. Pond A was not holding <br />water but had a healthy flush of sunflowers in the bottom of the pond. No problems were noted with this pond. <br />The mine site appears relatively stable. What erosional/depositional features noted were of limited area and were <br />not actively creating gullies. The surrounding landscape is prone to gullying as observed in the Santa Clara creek <br />and adjacent historically mined areas. No new subsidence features were encountered on adjacent areas to the New <br />Pryor Mine. <br />Page _3_ of _4_ Pages, (date) _06/27/03 , (initials) <br />