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STPTE OF COLORP70 RiC HARO D. IeMM, +ova~o~ <br />s. <br />• <br />DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES <br />D. Monte Pascoe, Executive Director <br />MINED LAND RECLAMATION <br />423 Centennial Building, 1313 Sherman Street <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 Tel. (303) 839-3567 <br />David C. Shelton ~s <br />Director ,`~;;. <br />June 30, 1981 .~1"~.'~ eau '~ i; r- <br />i, ~ 3198t~~. <br />`, <br />TO: Bob Liddle ~~ <br />~J <br />FROM: Jim Pendleton ~ <br />SUBJECT: Geotechnical s s of Energy Fuels No. 3 Permit Application <br />Pursuant to your request Z have reviewed the Energy Fuels No. 3/Middle <br />Creek permanent program permit application. I forward the following comments <br />regarding the geotechnical aspects of the permit for your consideration. <br />Gradinc and Backfillin <br />• The application states that it is the applicant's intent to backfill the <br />surface pits and the portal area pit to approximate original contour. The <br />applicant further requests a variance from required contemporaneous reclamation <br />within the portal and surrounding area. The purposes for this request are <br />to allow portal access and to facilitate placement for underground waste rock <br />(2 ft. of roof rock removed to assure roof stability) throughout the 10-year <br />projected life span of the Middle Creek underground mine. <br />The application is difficient in two facets of its backfilling and grading <br />proposal. First, the material bulking calculations are based upon very <br />limited materials field density testing which utilizes "wet density" results. <br />I do not believe this determination is sufficient. The applicant should <br />conduct additional testing including determination and comparison of results <br />using dry material densities. Comparison of dry densities will eliminate the <br />possibility of confusion due to moisture variation between the samples. The <br />testing submitted within the application is limited to one in-place overburden <br />test and approximately a half dozen spoil sample sites. The applicant should <br />expand the testing program to include multiple in-place undisturbed overburden <br />samples designed to test the representative overburden stratigraphic types. <br />Furthermore, testing of disturbed spoil should include both the permanent and <br />temporary overburden piles, which have been consolidated to varying degrees. <br />Secondly, the application contains only a brief calculation of overall spoil <br />bulking, including allowance for coal removal. The application should be <br />amended to detail volume calculations for the separate project pits, the portal <br />area and the permanent and temporary overburden piles. Further, a detailed <br />• ' calculation summary of the projected underground waste material volume should <br />be included. This should allow verification of the applicant's statements re- <br />garding the excess nature of the various overburden piles and verification of <br />their projection of regraded approximate original contour. <br />