INSPEC38062

• Permit No: M1977300
• IBM Index Class Name: Inspection
• Doc Date: 11/6/2000
• Doc Name: MINERALS PROGRAM INSPECTION REPORT
• Inspection Date: 11/6/2000
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

•
M!:NL ID # OR PROSPECTING IDit: M-197'1-~u0 PAGE: 4
INSPECTION DATE: 8-10-00 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: ACS
Inspection Location no. 5: The backfilled section of road discussed in the
previous section terminates at a gully were a road that has not been
backfilled continues after a U-turn and proceeds to the north and east
where it intersects with the main borehole/adit access road. This section
of road has not been backfilled because of Cotter's reluctance to disturb
the natural revegetation that has taken place. The Division inspectors
walked this entire section of road and agree with Cotter that disturbance
for the purpose of regrading would cause more harm than good. The surface
of the road has a dense cover of volunteer vegetation including a variety
'of native grasses and shrubs as well as ponderosa pine. The road cuts are
only a few feet high along most of the length of the road, and most of the
cuts are also revegetated. The Division recommends that the road remain
"as is" for final reclamation except that a developing erosicn gully in the
steep section of road near the top should be monitored and straw bales or
rock check dams should be installed in the gully in order to stop the
erosion and to silt-in the rill. Also, the larger fill slopes near the top
of the road would benefit from localized planting of shrubs. If tublings
are planned they should be protected by commercially available plant
protection tubes. Also observed in this inspection location was that at
the site where the road U-turns and crosses over the gulch, the gulch has
been filled in. This gulch emerges at the mine site behind the water
treatment plant, and Cotter reports that flow in the gulch i.. infrequent.
The Division recommends that small drainages be reconstructed in the
reclaimed landscape.
Inspection Location no. 6: The east and west mine waste and ore sorter
reject dumps were inspected. Final grading and soil cover placement has
been conducted on large areas of the dumps. The source for t:he soil cover
is the ore transfer pad area located down the access road from the mine.
This is soil that was removed from the transfer pad area in zccordance with
requirements of the Radioactive Materials License issued by t:he Department
of Health and Environment. The energy dissipater on the top of the east
dump has been installed in accordance with the design approvf~d in technical
revision TR-04 to the Schwartzwalder reclamation permit. Thfa area below
the riprap apron must be finish graded to prevent concentrat:Lon or
channelization of flows after passing through the energy dis:aipater.
Discussion of other issues:
• Cotter Corporation is considering the possibility of opening a soil
borrow area to obtain material for use in reclamation. Th.e borrow area
would be located on currently unpermitted land across Ralston Creek from
the mine facilities area. Cotter would like to ad the borrow area to
the permit through an acreage swap with permitted but unaffected land at
the north end of the west dump. By swapping out affected land in this
way, the new soil borrow area may potentially be permitted) through a
technical revision rather than a permit amendment. The Di.vision's
policy on land swaps is being sent to Cotter under separate cover.
• A discussion was held concerning Appendix E-4 to the 1983 permit
amendment to the Schwartzwalder reclamation permit. In pzirticular page