GENERAL41454

• Permit No: C1981019
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 11/30/2001
• Doc Name: SPECIAL TOPICS
• From: DMG
• To: COLOWYO COAL CO
• Permit Index Doc Type: GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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STATF, OF COLORADO
DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman SI., Room 215
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
November 30, 2001
DIVISION OF
MINERALS
GEOLOGY
RECLAMATION
MINING•SAFETY
Steve Hinkemeyer, P.E.
Colowyo Coal Company L.P.
5731 State Highway 13
Meeker, CO 81641
Attention: Kimberley A. Wolf
Re: Special Topics
Dear Mrs. Wolf:
Bill Owens
Governor
Greg E. Walther
Executive Duector
Michael B. Long
Division Dveclor
During the November 27, 2001 Coal Complete inspection by the Division of Minerals and' ..
Geology (Division), you asked for comments on two items. One was Table l,.page.7 of the
Permit Application Package (PAP), and the other of elevated Sodium Adsorption Ratios (SAR)
from 11/12/01 sampling of overburden.
... .,
On November 27, 2001, we discussed a potential revision of Table 1, and how ihbecomes
outdated yearly. As we discussed by telephone on November 30, 2001, Table 1 is in the
introduction section of the PAP. Information in Table 1 is not required by the Rules, and.is
nearly duplicated in Table 3 on page 2.05-12 of the PAP. A portion of Table 3 is in fulfillment'of
a requirement of Rule 2.05.2(1). The format of Table 3 was modified under.Technical Revision
42 to reduce the frequency of update posting to coincide with 5-yeaz permit terms. As such,
Table 1 could be eliminated.
The discussion on the significance of elevated SAR readings and required actions by Colowyo
Coal Company, L.P. (Colowyo) was initiated from recent (11/12/01) analyses of overburden
samples (see Enclosure 1). Sampling of regraded overburden is accomplished at a density of one
sample per five acres of regraded area (PAP, Exhibit 6, Item # 4, Colowyo letter of Januazy 4,
1983). During our telephone conversation of November 30 you confirmed that [he samples in
question were taken of such regraded overburden.
Colowyo recogni2es the potential for elevated SAR values (PAP page 2.04.6-9). Threshold SAR
values for special handling are identified as "suspect levels". The SAR suspect level at Colowyo
is 15 (PAP, Exhibit 6, Item # 4, Colowyo letter of Januazy 4, 1983). From [he information at
Enclosure 1, sample X-4 is of suspect materials (SAR va]ue of 24.3). The SAR value of 9.19 of
sample Y-4 is also much higher than usual (below 2).