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:~ <br />i~i°t. HIGHLAND ENG/i1/EERuI~' Co. , /nc. <br />361 PALMER, ?O. BOX 631 DELTA, CO, 81416 <br />(303) 874-8613 <br />14estern Sloe Carbon <br />Somerset, Colorado <br />Attn: Al Admundson <br />Re: Coal Pile Stability <br />Dear A1: <br />As a follow up to the field examination of the coal <br />pile west of the silos, I.am sending additional information <br />to clarify and support my intitial conclusions. <br />The stability of a particular slope or cut is deter- <br />mined by many factors including shear strength (internal <br />friction and cohesion), slope angle, pore pressure etc. The <br />coal has been placed so that the side slope is allowed to <br />stabilize at its natural angle of repose and the coal is <br />large enough so that there is no cohesion. These ph}•sical . <br />conditions and particular properties, by themselves, will <br />not allow the side slope to fail. <br />The problem,~as outlined by CM1iLR, seems to arise during <br />the winter w).^n. snow is throcan on the pile from passing snow-' <br />plows, then melts and freezes the coal into a coheasive ~ ~' <br />pile. Then, if the coal pile is too close to the road the <br />;snowplows disturb the toe of the pile creating a potentially <br />unstable situation. Although the integrity of the pile re- <br />mains essentially intact this situation has become a concern <br />of the CMLR staff. <br />The best solution to this problem is to separate the <br />edge of the coal pile and the edge of the road by a safe dis= <br />.tance of approximately five (5) feet Additionally, road ) <br />side markers such as reflecter poles, should be placed at in- <br />tervals along the road to delineate the coal pile boundary. ~f . <br />" This would also prevent snowplows from disturbing the inte- <br />grity of the coal pile. I have discussed the problem and <br />'~' this solution with Jim Pendleton at the CPILR office in <br />` Denver. He has indicated that this solution would eliminate <br />their concern. <br />