Laserfiche WebLink
STATE OF COLORADO <br />DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY <br />Deparonent of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman SL, Room 215 <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />Plsone: (303) 866.3567 <br />FAx: (303) 832106 <br />January 5, 2006 <br />Mr. Michael S. Savage <br />Savage and Savage Environmental <br />4610 Haystack Drive <br />Windsor, CO 80550 <br />Re: Carbon Junction Mine, Permit C-92-080 <br />Technical Revision 13 <br />COLORADO <br />D IYtStON OF <br />MINERALS <br />GEOLOGY <br />SAf ETY•ECfFNCE <br />Bin Owens <br />Governor <br />Russell George <br />ExeMive Director <br />Ronald W. Cottony <br />Division Directs <br />Natural Resounx Trustee <br />Enclosed for your review is a draft of the Division's updated reclamation cost estimate <br />for the Cazbon Junction Mine. The draft estimate excludes tasks which previously have <br />gone through the bond release process. We have the following comments regarding the <br />draft estimate. <br />Task 1-The draft estimate uses 4,000 cyds based on the mass-balance calculation <br />shown on page 5-25 of the reclamation plan, rather than the 1,000 cyd figure shown in <br />the TR-12 cost estimate which did not reference its source. <br />Tasks 4 and 12 -The draft estimate uses a truck and loader team for hauling boxcut spoil <br />from the PRSA to the North Pit (Task 4} and its haul road (Task 12}, rather than a scraper <br />as proposed in the TR-13 submittal. Permit page 5-19 says the boxcut spoil contains <br />blasted rock; this material would be too lazge for a scraper to mechanically pick up. (For <br />the sake of comparison, the costs for Task 4 were also estimated using a scraper and the <br />result was about 20% less than the truck/loader result.) <br />Tasks 7 and 10 -The draft estimate uses 54,286 cyds, rather than the 38,000 cyds <br />mentioned in our previous adequacy letter to account for 143% swell of topsoil. After <br />placement in North Pit, it will be necessary to compact this fill (new Task 10) because so <br />much of it is topsoil. <br />Tasks 11 and 40 -The draft estimate eliminates these tasks, as proposed in the TR-13 <br />submittal, because they appear to have originally not been needed to complete the <br />approved reclamation plan. <br />Task 24 -The draft estimate uses local mazket prices for acquiring riprap and rock filter, <br />rather than the reduced cost from onsite acquisition as proposed in the TR-13 submittal. <br />Onsite acquisition is possible only as a result of completed reclamation work (i.e. rock <br />acquisition, sorting, and hauling), which is work that needs to go through the bond <br />release process before elimination from the cost estimate. The $25,000 total cost <br />proposed for Task 24 in the TR-13 submittal equates to an average price of $5.20 per <br />OfOce of <br />Mined Land Rtxlamation <br />Office of <br />Active and Inactive Mines <br />Colorado <br />Geological Survey <br />