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<br />Richard D. Lamm <br />Governor <br /> <br />DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES <br />David H. Getchea Executive Dlrector <br />MINED LAND RECLAMATION DIVISION <br />DAVID C. SNELTON, Dlrector <br />March 1, 7984 <br />T0: Jim Herron///~ <br />FROM: Roy L. Cox ~~p ~~ t <br />RE: Underground Inspection of the Roadside Mine <br />Henry Barba of Powderhorn Coal Company gave MLRD inspectors Jim Herron and Roy <br />Cax a tour of the Roadside Mine. The areas of the mine which were visited <br />were sumps, working faces, and mine workings beneath perennial and <br />intermittent streams. The following observations were made by MLRD staff <br />Inspectors. <br />1. In general, the Roadside Mine is quite dry. The Cameo coal seam is the <br />primary source of mine inflows and, thus, is the aquifer which is being <br />impacted by mining. <br />2. Mine Inflows from the roof strata were not observed, even to areas <br />beneath Cottonwood Creek, 1 West Mains and 3 West Mains, and beneath Rapid <br />Creek 2nd South Mains. Thus, the mine is not presently impacting the quantity <br />of water to overlying aquifers and surface streams. <br />3. No faults or major fractures were observed cutting the Gameo coal seam. <br />Areas beneath Cottonwood and Rapid Creeks were not faulted or fractured. <br />Streams overlying the workings are not fault controlled. Faults and fractures <br />are not a major source of Inflows to this mine. No point source inflows were <br />observed in the mine. <br />4. The roof strata, which 1s a silty shale to a siltstone, 1s highly <br />susceptible to slaking (crumbling and causing roof falls) when wet. This is <br />due to expansive clays to this strata. The use of water to control dust at <br />the working faces causes up to two feet of roof strata to fall. This roof <br />rock must be handled with the coal. If roof inflows were encountered, there <br />would be increased roof falls. The roof strata 1n the northern areas of the <br />mine is weaker than that 1n the southeastern area. The roof rock which is <br />mined out with the coal comprises the majority of the coal processing vaste <br />which is disposed of 1n the refuse pile. <br />423 Centennial Building, 1313 Sherman Street Denver, Colorado 80203 Tel. (30:x) 866-3567 <br />~ iii iiiiiiiiiiuiii <br />