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~ ~< Other land uses in this region are recreation, timber production, and mining. Recreational uses are seasonal and include skiing in winter; hunting in fall; and fishing, camping river rafting, and backpacking in summer. The Roaring Fork Drainage Basin has become a popular location for vacation homes and condominiums, due in part to the skiing, recreation, and tourism which is popular in the area. The loadout area at the North Thompson Creek has recently been rezoned by Garfield County to allow a Planned Unit Development. Upland areas on both sides of the Roaring Fork Valley comprise parts of the White River National Forest. Most of the valley bottoms and sideslopes are under private ownership. The Roaring Fork Valley is a natural geographic corridor between Glenwood Springs, where the Roaring Fork and Colorado Rivers meet, and the town of Aspen, which is directly west of the Continental Divide. Within this corridor, State Highway 82 connects Glenwood Springs and Aspen, which are the county seats of Garfield and Pitkin Counties, respectively. Description of the Operation and Reclamation Plans The general description of the mining operations and facilities have been reviewed by the Division for compliance with the Rules and Regulations. A summary of past mining operations, and the current status of the reclamation plan is presented below. Further details regarding past mining operations and the reclamation plan can be found in Sections 4.3 and 4.4, respectively, in Volume I of the permit application. Coal was extracted from two seams in the North Thompson Creek Mines. Mine Portal Nos. 1 and 3 served as access to the A seam and the Anderson seam, respectively. The A seam (Mine No. 1) was mined first by the room-and-pillar method and subsequently by longwalling. The pitch of the longwall is 26 degrees westerly. Eight continuous mining machines were used in the Anderson seam (Mine No. 3). Longwall techniques were not used in Mine No. 3. Coal from both mines was conveyed to a central surge bin and breaker via two elevated conveyor systems. The office area, two coal storage silos, a wash plant, and a closed-system washwater recycling system were located adjacent to the breaker. Small amounts of coal were occasionally stockpiled next to the coal silos. Coal for the silos was transported by truck to the loadout truck dump via County Road 108. The coal was then unloaded into a truck dump bin/60-ton hopper on the west side of the Roaring Fork River and subsequently conveyed over the river to a surge bin located adjacent to the railroad spur where coal was loaded directly into the cars. The coal refuse disposal area was located about 1,500 feet east of the above- mentioned wash plant. Coal refuse from the wash plant system, as well as underground development waste, was disposed of at this location. On July 31, 1984, the North Thompson Creek Mines filed for temporary cessation of operations with the Division. From that time to present, a minimal staff has been maintained either on site or at other offices in order to maintain compliance with the regulations and maintain any st~'uctures or other facilities that are required. -6-