Laserfiche WebLink
• <br />-MINE T_D # OR PROSPECTING ID#: ?i-197?-300 PAGE: 2 <br />INSPECTION DATE: 8-10-00 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: ACS <br />This was a monitoring inspection of the Schwartzwalder Mine conducted at the <br />request of Cotter Corporation, Cotter is in the process of conducting <br />reclamation to reduce the area of mine related disturbance as much as <br />possible while maintaining the ability to resume production dependent on <br />economic conditions. During the course of the inspection Division personnel <br />and Cotter representatives conferred on the condition and status of various <br />areas of affected land and made certain determinations as to what mined land <br />reclamation measures must be applied to gain release from reclamation <br />responsibility. These determinations are documented in this report. <br />Inspection location no. 1: We proceeded up the borehole/adit access road to <br />a location just below the fan control building. The borehole/adit access <br />road originates behind the mine office and switchbacks up the :steep northeast <br />facing Ralston Creek Canyon slope. There is a deep road cut i.n the location <br />inspected. Cotter has recently completed a grading and backfi:~ling job along <br />a portion of the road cut. In combination with this gradin~3 job, an adit <br />(Charley level) and raise were sealed and backfilled. The raise was <br />completely filled with Charley mine dump material to approximately 50 feet <br />below ground surface. At this point a 10-foot concrete plug was installed <br />and the remainder of the raise was filled with dirt. Also, the grading <br />project exposed the edge of a stope. Cotter reports that the opening into <br />the stope was small and shallow and was easily stabilized and backfilled. <br />The approved reclamation plan for the road is to "pull downslope soil <br />material onto the roadway to as close to the original mountain contour as <br />possible" (7/23/85 technical revision). Cotter voiced then concern that <br />sufficient downslope soil material does not appear to be available to <br />backfill the high road cut at the Charley adit location.. Howf~ver, it is the <br />Division's position that the large cut slope at this location is not an <br />acceptable post mining landform, and must be stabilized and reclaimed by <br />backfilling, sloping, and revegetation. There are a number of potential <br />borrow sources at the Schwartzwalder site in the event that :sufficient fill <br />is not available in the vicinity of the Charley adit. Borrowing material <br />from the east or west waste dumps is not recommended due to the desirability <br />of having all the waste rock in consolidated, well-defined locations. <br />Inspection location no. 2: This inspection location is on the north and east <br />side of Ralston Creek and consists of abandoned cut and fill :roads that were <br />used to access a shallow adit, exploration drilling location:;, and probably <br />during installation of a utility line and poles. This location was viewed <br />from the overlook provided at inspection location no. 1. The road and <br />associated cuts have been revegetated through natural processes. The <br />Division determined that redisturbance of these abandoned roads by <br />backfilling and grading operations, thus destroying the vege~:ation that has <br />established would do more harm than good. The roads may remain as they are. <br />If it is decided that the power poles and lines at inspection location no. 2 <br />must be removed, and if the removal operations result in extensive damage to <br />the existing vegetation, Chen the Division may require bac}:filling of the <br />road fill into the cut and revegetation. The procedure for determining if <br />the utility line may remain in place is taken from Rule 3.1.11 of the Hard <br />