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<br />iii iiiiiiiiniii iii <br />STATE OF COLORADO <br />MINED LAND RECLAMATION DIVISION <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1373 Sherman St.. Room 275 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />303 8663567 <br />Fa x: 303 632-8706 <br />DATE: February 23, 1990 <br />T0: Matt Hayes /~/~ <br />FROM: Carl Mount/ a~, `"" "~ <br />OF COQ <br />'~°~4~cc <br />~~/; ~~ 10 <br />•~C: <br />Roy Romer, <br />Gaverrpr <br />Fred R. Banta. <br />Division Deettor <br />RE: Soils and Stream Buffer Zones Review, Somerset Mine Permit Renewal, <br />Permit No. C-81-022 <br />I have reviewed the soils and stream buffer zones sections of the Somerset <br />Mine permit document as you requested, <br />Soils <br />In general, there was no topsoil saved in four of five disturbed areas at the <br />mine site. These four areas were disturbed pre-law and consist of the <br />facilities at Elk Creek, the lower Bear Creek fan facility, the upper <br />Bear Creek degas wells, and the lower Hubbard Creek portal and fan area. The <br />upper Hubbard Creek air shaft area (air shaft never built) was disturbed post <br />law and, therefore, topsoil was saved and is stockpiled in an approved manner. <br />1.) The operator's present plans for reclaiming pre-law areas include the <br />following (refer to Appendix K - Material Balance): <br />a.) The lower Bear Creek area and the lower Hubbard Creek area will <br />have minimal regrading done. A request for variance from <br />restoration of approximate original contour is located on <br />pages 2.061 through 2.06-10. After the minimal regrading, these <br />areas will be seeded. In regard to the waste dump at the lower <br />Hubbard Creek area, page 2.05-30 states: "Some regrading of the <br />dump is planned to blend this area into the undisturbed slope <br />better ..." There are no commitments to cover this waste with some <br />thickness of material that would be more conducive to plant <br />growth. My opinion is that, when the waste is regraded, it will <br />have the effect of exposing unweathered gob which will not be as <br />conducive to plant growth as subsoil or topsoil. Since the upper <br />Hubbard Creek topsoil may not be all used up by reclamation <br />activities around the proposed U.S.F.S. parking lot, perhaps some <br />of that excess topsoil could be used to cover the waste material at <br />the lower Hubbard Creek site. <br />