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Introduction <br />This report provides a brief summary of all reclamation projects that have been <br />conducted by the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DBMS), <br />formerly the Division of Minerals and Geology (DMG) at Coal Basin. The report is <br />divided into sections by year. Each yearly summary contains a narrative description of <br />the individual reclamation projects conducted that year. At the end of each yearly <br />summary is a table that provides the acreage and ownership information of the individual <br />projects. Two tables located at the end of the report summazize project acreage and <br />ownership information. The map at the end of the report graphically describes the <br />approximate locations of the project areas in Coal Basin. <br />Reclamation Overview <br />The Coal Basin Mine is a formerly permitted mining operation. The operator of the <br />mine, Mid Continent Resources declared bankruptcy in 1992. Subsequently, the <br />Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Boazd forfeited the operating permit, and revoked the <br />reclamation bond in 1993. As a result of these actions, DBMS assumed the task of <br />accomplishing reclamation of the site in 1994, as provided for in Colorado Surface <br />Mining Control and Reclamation Act. <br />Field work in support of initial reclamation tasks was conducted during the summer of <br />1994. Concurrently, a DBMS contractor performed maintenance work on some of the <br />storm water conveyance systems at the site. Reclamation project bid specifications were <br />prepared during the winter of 1994 / 1995, and initial reclamation construction at the site <br />began in the summer of 1995. <br />During the period between early July, 1994 and late December of that year, DBMS <br />evaluated all of the disturbed areas within the Coal Basin Mine permit area in order to set <br />relative reclamation priorities for the mine site. Reclamation priorities were established <br />based upon an evaluation of reclamation requirements, Notices of Violation issued during <br />the period of time when the operation was permitted, U.S. Forest Service planned land <br />uses at federally managed portions of the basin, and the perceived environmental impacts <br />of specific facilities. <br />Equal reclamation priority was given to the coal refuse facilities located near the <br />confluence of Coal and Dutch Creeks, and the mine face-up areas. The road system was <br />a slightly lower priority with the rock tunnel (Lamphouse) area, coal stockpiles, <br />wazehouse facilities, mine office /coal cleaning areas receiving the lowest priority. <br />Reclamation work was sequenced based on a number of factors. The reclamation priority <br />of the vazious facilities was used as the first cut in determining which areas would be <br />reclaimed at specific points in time. The availability of funding was the second tier when <br />determining which areas would be reclaimed in any given yeaz. <br />2 <br />