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<br />Trinidad Basin Mine <br />Bond forfeiture <br />Special focus evaluation <br />2/8/00 <br />Mitchell S. Rollings, 370, OSM <br />Randy Pair, OSM <br />Dave Berry, DMG <br />Kent Gorham, DMG <br />This mine site was selected for evaluation as part of a special focus review for off-site impacts <br />associated with bond forfeiture sites. OSM and DMG will evaluate all bond forfeiture sites in <br />Colorado; there are 14 of these sites. <br />Impacts that are located outside of the area directly disturbed by the mining operation or off of <br />the area authorized by DMG to be disturbed when the operation was active would be considered <br />an off-site impact. OSM Directive REG-8 was used as guidance to determine the kind of <br />resource, and the type and degree of impact for off-site impacts. People, structures, land, and <br />water resources were observed during this evaluation to determine whether or not an off-site <br />impact has occurred. <br />The observations made during these evaluations will be reported in OSM's Annual Evaluation <br />Summary Report for Colorado for the evaluation period. This information will be carried <br />forward to future evaluation periods in order to track [he number ofoff-site impacts associated <br />with Colorado bond forfeitures. The record will be adjusted if additional off-site impacts occur, <br />or as DMG continues to reclaim the forfeited properties using bond money, severance tax, etc. <br />Site Conditions <br />This site has been backfilled, graded, and revegetated since 1995. About half of the ponds have <br />been reclaimed. Reclamation work was conducted in the fall using forfeited monies and more is <br />scheduled for this spring. About half of the sedimentation ponds have been reclaimed because <br />DMG elected to use the bond funds to try and stabilize the watersheds rather than spend <br />the funds to reconstruct and maintain ponds. The areas to the south of the county road have the <br />best reclamation success. This may be attributed to aspect, because most of the slopes face the <br />north while the slopes to the north of the county road all face south. However, some of those <br />southern areas have south facing slopes and the revegetation has done well. Another possibility <br />for the difference is that much of the area north of the county road was disturbed during the pre- <br />law period as evidenced by old foundations and historic mining debris. This may have had an <br />impact on topsoil resources and quantity for those northern disturbed areas. <br />As stated, the revegetated areas north of the county road have not been very successful. The <br />worst evidence of erosion was found in the bottom of one of these canyons. We walked the <br />erosion until we reached the edge of the permit boundary where runoff would flow through a box <br />