ENFORCE25635

• Permit No: C1982057
• IBM Index Class Name: Enforcement
• Doc Date: 12/15/1997
• Doc Name: SENECA II-W MINE PN C-82-057 NOV C-97-023
• From: SENECA COAL CO
• To: DMG
• Violation No.: CV1997023
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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S Coal Company Seneca Coal Company
December 10, 1997 RF(;EI\/ED
Ms . Erica Crosby UEC 1 5 1997
Division of Minerals and Geology
1313 Sherman Street Room 215
Denver, CO 80203-2273 ?ivisicno~~.;~nersaUepI00Y
RE: Seneca II-W Mine, Permit C-82-057, NOV No. C-97-023
Dear Ms. Crosby:
In response to NOV No. C-97-023 for the Seneca II-W Mine, Seneca
Coal Company respectfully submits the following information for
the abatement of the violation. Step 1 required that Seneca
provide the Division with demonstrations that the pond embankment
has a minimum static safety factor of 1.3 and meets the other
requirements of Rule 4.05.6(11) or a plan for repairing the
embankment to meet those requirements by December 10th. Step 2
called for reconstructing the pond embankment to meet those
requirements and step 3 was to provide the Division with a
recertification of the reconstructed pond embankment by a
qualified registered professional engineer by December 19th.
In order to facilitate the removal of sediment from pond 006, a
ditch was inadvertently dug through the embankment to drain the
remaining water that was stored in the pond. The approximate
dimensions of this ditch were 120'(L) X 3'(W) X 12'(D) for a
total capacity of 160 cubic yards being excavated by our CAT 350
trackhoe. The material was placed parallel to the ditch and also
on top of the embankment. Upon notification that this ditch was
cut operations personnel were told that the ditch needed to be
backfilled immediately on October 31st. Mr. Roy Karo supervised
this work under my direction. The material was placed back in the
ditch in 8-12" lifts. The side slopes of the ditch were cut so
that placement of the excavated material could be keyed back into
the embankment. The backfilled material was then compacted with
both our D5 bulldozer and the trackhoe. The work was completed
that afternoon and inspected by myself for completeness.
Compaction tests were not run because of the small amount of
material disturbed by this project. For the construction of new
pond embankments, Seneca generally runs compaction tests on
approximately every 2,500 cubic yards of material placed in an
embankment. Based on the work done and the compaction tests that
are contained in the permit in Attachment 13-4, Addendum 4, I
believe that the embankment still has a minimum static safety
factor of 1.3 or greater. The overall geometry of the embankment
was not modified from what is depicted on Exhibit 13-6.
Seneca Coal Company • P.O. Drawer D • Hayden, Colorado 81639
Telephone [phone] • FAX [phone]