GENERAL30857 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

toe-elopes of the mountains in the spring and fall. Dryland wheat is cultivated in favorable areas on the colluvial toe-elopes of the Williams Fork Mountains. Native hay and some dryland wheat is cultivated on the soils of the Yampa and Williams Fork River valleys. The area provides habitat and migration routes for antelope, elk and mule deer. Raptors, several species of game birds, and numerous smaller mammals are found in the Williams Fork Mountains, and surrounding areas. Description of the Operation Plan Approximately 10,391 acres comprise the proposed pezmit area. Of this, 4,698 acres of disturbance have been proposed by the end of this permit term (1997). During the years 1993-1997 approximately 1,561 acres will be disturbed and 1,451 acres reclaimed. Coal will be removed at a maximum rate of 2.5 million tons per year until the year 1994, when production will begin tapering off for the remaining life of the mine. The projected life of mine production of coal will be a maximum of 74 million tons. The projected overall life of mine is thirty five years. Coal will be removed at the Trapper Mine using area strip mining methods, by dragline. Pit orientation is parallel to the downhill dip of the coal seams; each pit cut being adjacent and parallel to the previous one. When more than one seam ie recovered in a pit, partings are removed by dozer, or backhoe, or similar equipment if thin; or by dragline, if thick. During this permit term (1993-1997) there will be six active pits; the "A", or Ashmore Pit, the "B" or Browning Pit; the "D" or Derringer Pit; the "F" or Flintlock Pit; the "H" or Hawken Pit; and the "I" or Ithaca Pit. The "E" or Enfield Pit will remain open but inactive as the D pit advances eastward toward it and eventually meets it. The B pit is the westernmost pit. Moving to the east the D Pit is the longest in length (4,500-6,000'). Mining in the D pit progresses toward the east. The Ashmore Pit ie to the north and west of both the D and E Pits. It will continue progressing east and to the north of the E Pit. The Hawken Pit is located immediately north of the A pit and mines an area north of the A pit. Flintlock Pit is located to the east of the Ashmore pit and will progress east. Ithaca Pit is a small scraper pit located in the northern mine area to the northeast of the current B pit. In early 1993 the Baby Doe dragline will walk from its current location in the middle Pyeatt drainage to the north end of the east Pyeatt drainage and continue the easterly advance of the A pit throughout the permit term. The Queen Anne dragline will continue mining in Browning Pit until June 1993, at which time it will walk to the Hawken Pit and begin mining until the end of 1994. Then the Queen Anne will walk to the southern end of the east Pyeatt drainage where a F pit boxcut will be opened and mining will continue through the end of the permit term. The Molly Brown dragline will continue mining in the D pit throughout the permit term. Prior to disturbance, and in advance of the pits, brush is cleared and topsoil is removed and salvaged. Topsoil is stockpiled only if a live-haul replacement area is not available in the area. If stockpiled, piles are shaped and seeded to establish vegetation for protection from wind and water erosion. After topsoil removal, the overburden is drilled and blasted in advance of the pit. Overburden is then stripped by draglinea, scrapers or bulldozers. Due to the nature of the overburden after it has been blasted and removed from the pit, the material occupies approximately 25ir more volume than in its original condition. When replaced and regraded, the result will be that the topography of the reclaimed surface will be slightly higher than the original surface (an average of 12 feet). After removal of all coal seams which can economically be recovered, the pits are backfilled and graded by the dragline and dozers. The dragline creates spoil ridges by dumping backfill material from the pit being opened into the Page 6