GENERAL35957 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

2.0 INTRODUCTION This Soil Conservation, Erosion and Sediment Control, Reclamation, and Revegetation Plan ("The Plan") describes measures to be taken by American Soda, L.L.P. ("American Soda") and its contractors to protect and restore areas of disturbance associated with mine development, operation and retirement. The Plan is designed to control and minimise soil erosion, sedimentation and stabilize soils through the use of best management practices ("BMPs"), and to effectively address the restoration and revegetation of disturbed aeeas. BMPs to be used on site include but are not limited to the practices, methods and products contained and described in this document. The Plan also presents monitoring and maintenance activities to ensure that the control measures are successful and continue to function properly throughout the life of the project. Given that project designs are currently in a detailed yet preliminary condition, and considering the long project life, American Soda recognizes the need for continued analysis, planning, and implementation of erosion control and reclamation practices as the project progresses. Such activities would be an ongoing part of project activities and would involve input from appropriate agency personnel in carrying out a coordinated plan. 2.1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION American Soda has proposed a commercial mining operation involving development of vertical solution mining wells for the extraction of bedded and disseminated trahcolite on the Yankee Gulch Joint Venture Leases ("Piceance Site"), which ate located in the Bureau of Land Management's ("BEM's") White River Resource Area neaz Meeker, Colorado. The Piceance Site is approximately 63 miles north-northeast of Grand Junction, 22 miles west-southwest of Meeker, and 29 miles east-southeast of Rangely, Colorado. Nahcolite is naturally occurring sodium bicazbonate found in association with oil shale deposits. Sodium bicarbonate solution removed from the ground at the Piceance Site will be processed into sodium carbonatelsodium bicarbonate solution, which will be transported by pipeline south to a final processing plant at the Pazachute Site to be located on private property in the Parachute Creek valley {Steigers Corporation 1998). There it will be further processed to commercial soda ash and sodium bicarbonate products. The Piceance Creek Basin nahcolite resource is awell-documented, world-class deposit by virtue of its magnitude and quality. Reserves under American Soda's leases aze estimated to be sufficient to sustain the proposed production for more than 30 years. 2.2 DISTURBANCE TYPES AND SEQUENCE The American Soda Yankee Gulch Sodium Minerals Project ("Yankee Gulch Project") will involve three main categories of disturbance aeeas including well fields; surface facilities; and access roads, utility corridors and the pipeline corridor. Descriptions of the activities involved for each of these categories and their associated potential surface disturbance are detailed in the Commercial Mine Plan (Steigers Corporation, 1998). The Plan addresses activities associated with the well field, surface facilities and access roads. These activities are summarized below. Erosion control and reclamation /revegetation measures for the utility corridors and the pipeline corridor will be addressed in a sepazate document. 2.2.1 Well Field (Mining Panels) The staged development of the solution mining well field over the first 30 yeazs of mining is described in the Commercial Mine Plan (Steigers Corporation 1998). Wells will be laid out on a grid within each proposed mining panel area. Sources of disturbance within each mitring - panel will include development of the well pads for each solution mining well, the system of access roads within each mitring panel, electrical power system and the solution collector and American Soda, L.L.P. 2-1 Soil Cooservmion, Flosion Doti Scdimm[ Conwl, Reclamation, and Revegeution Plan Omober 28. 1998 Reviud Apri19. 1999