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. _ ~~ DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY Department of Natural Resources 1313 Sherman 51., Room 215 Denver, Colorado 80203 Phone: (303) 866-3567 FAX: (303Ijga2[~706 TO: FROM RE: August 3l, 1999 Sandy Brown Dan Mathews !L1 ~~~ I~~I~~I~~II~~ I~~ STATE OF COLORADO Forfeited Site Summary: Fnrita No. 1 and 2 (C-81-015) Type of Mine: Underground, Private Operator at time of Forfeiture: American Shield Coal Company Permitted Acres: Permanem program permit never issued. Development occurred wder a prospecting notice of intent issued in May, 1977. A total of 11.6 acres was disturbed. A 536,000 reclamation bond was forfeited by the Mined Land Reclamation Board in March, 1994. A portion of the forfeited bond was utilized by the Division in the spring of 1996 to reseed the Mme #1 bench outslope, which had exhibited poor establishment of seeded vegetation, and was dominated by cheatgrsss and annual weeds. Minor drainage repairs were also conducted at that time. The cost of the work was 57,651.00, leaving remaining reclamation bond in the amount of 528,349.00 Reclamation Status DIVISION OF MINERALS GEOLOGY RECLAMATION MIN ING•SAFETY Bill Owens Governor Greg E. Walther Executive Director Michael B. Long Division Director The reclaimed site is located in a canyon along the base of the bookcliffs. Major features are the reclaimed No. 1 (upper) portals and bench, with a steep bench outslope which was essentially left in its operational configuration; access road to the upper bench; reclaimed lower (No.2) portals; reclaimed lower facilities and sediment pond. A 100 year design upper diversion had been left in place to divert runoff around the reclaimed areas. In August, ] 997, a cloudburst type storm event washed prodigious quantities of sediment and boulders up to Volkswagon size down from the Bookcliffs above the mine, completely burying the upper diversion and cutting a massive gully down the face of the upper bench ouulope. Flood flows which didn't polo over the outslope swept down the access road, cutting deep gullies along both sides oC the road. Sedimem was deposited at various locations, one culvert and ditch segmelY was buried, and several feet of sediment were deposited in the sediment pond. There was similar flooding all along the face of the bookclitfs from Fruits to Palisade as a result of the store Although some sediment originating from the Fnrita mine obviously ended up in the ephemeral dminage below the mine, it would have been insignificant N the context of the storm event. Normally dry gulches all along the base of the Bookclif'fs had run banldull, with marry road washouts at drainage crossings due to the Bonding. Original rechunation conducted by the operator in 1991 has been largely successful in all areas with the exception of We Mine 1 bench outslope. DMG's 1996 project involved cutting large furrows on the bench outslope with a dozer, followed by seeding. Farr establishment of fourwing saltbush has been achieved, but vegetation cover is still dominated by annuals. The DMG retreannent area was severely affected by outslope erosion resulting from the flood event (i.e. the gully wiped out a large portion of it).