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The site ~s located some hve miles northwest of the Toupal pastwe This coal exploration hole encountered <br />srgndicant water and methane during dulling. The appearance of the vegetaton dre•out and unusual soil <br />properties al thl5 site were noted as strikingly sirndar to the Toupal pasture area. Full bond release was withheld <br />due to the Chavez site and the Drviswn recommended to Bann Resources that both of these saes be <br />mvestlgated for possible methane leaking to the surface. <br />The indial methane testing occurred on Fetxuary 24, 1999. These results indicated methane In the sod profile m <br />areas of stressed or dead vegetation at both locations Based on this testing sod methane monitors were <br />Installed on March 2a, t999. <br />Agencies and parties involved in, or commenting on, the investigation <br />A sigrnficant number of State and Federal agencies as well as pnvate parties and interests have been involved <br />rn the investigation of this problem. The original crlrzen complaint was filed by the Spanish Peaks -Purgatoire <br />River Sod Conservation DisUict. Two landowners, Mr. John Toupal and Mr. Floyd Chavez, have been directly <br />affected. Basin Resources Inc., permrttee of the Golden Eagle mine. is responsible for the collection of the data <br />and reporting through their consultant Greystone Environmental Consultants. Geomet performed the seating <br />and abandonment of the coal bed methane wells. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission was <br />involved in the ground reconnaissance and the abandonment of the coal bed methane wells in the Toupal <br />pasture. The Water Quahry Control Division and the Environmental Protection agency have also been beefed <br />on the situation. The Division of h1~nerals and Geology IDMG) inspected the site on numerous occasions and <br />coord~naled planned monitoring, as well as reviewed monitoring reports and data as d became available. <br />Photographic evidence was also collected by DMG and continues to be collected as conditions warrant. <br />Photographic evidence <br />No single photograph depicts the extent and the nature of the methane contamination better than an aerial <br />photograph taken by Harry Ranney of the Division of M~nerais and Geology rn May 2000, shown on the next <br />page. Oue to the green up in vegetation, areas of dead vegetation are easily visible. both to the right (north) of <br />Highway 12 and left of the highway m the foreground. Blotches are also visible around well 2&11 located in the <br />Toupal pasture. The photograph looks west up the Purgatoire River Valley. <br />