GENERAL49246

• Permit No: C1981037
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 6/9/1992
• Doc Name: APRIL 1992 CITIZENS COMPLAINT
• From: MLRD
• To: FN C-81-037
• Permit Index Doc Type: GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

~~~ I~~I~~I~~~~~~ ~I~
MINED LAND RECLAMATION DIVISION
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman St., Room 215
Denver, CO 80203
303 866-3567
FAX~303 832-8106
DATE: June 9. 1992
T0: File No. C-81-037
FROM: Cathy Begej
RE: April, 1992, Citizen's Complaint
STATE OF COLORADO
O_F' Cp~
R~~
~e Q
+ ~C/
••
~ X896 ~

Roy Romer,
Gwemor
Michael B. Long,
Division Drtec[or
The Division received aerial photos from Energy Fuels Coal, Inc. on
June 5, 1992. These photos covered the access road into the West Pit and were
taken on August 22, 1985; December 31, 1986; January 2, 1988; January 4, 1989;
June 29, 1990; December 27, 1990; and June 4, 1991. There was some snow on
the site on four of these seven photos. The snow did limit the degree of
visibility of features on the site.
Reclamation work at the West Pit was completed by December, 1985, as Harrison
Western requested Phase I Bond Release at that time. The August 22, 1985,
photo shows four short gullies and one long gully above the road and nine
short gullies below the road ON the northeast leg of the road. The four short
gullies above the road were not obvious in the December 31, 1986, photo. It
is not clear whether snow cover masked the gullies or whether some grading was
done. GEC continued to do some work in the permit area through May 27, 1987,
when the Board forfeited the bond.
Harrison-Western reportedly performed maintenance work on the West Pit in
November, 1988 and October, 1990. Major erosion above and below the access
road occurred in the period between the January 2, 1988, photo and the
January 4, 1989, photo. (There was more snow cover in the 1989 photo than in
the 1988 photo). Photo lineaments, which were presumed to be gullies, are no
more numerous above the road than below the northeast leg of the road in the
1989 photo. There was no vegetation on the road in either picture to use in
identifying whether grading had been done along the roadway in the interim
period.
Comparison of the June 29, 1990, and December 27, 1990, indicate that
maintenance work had indeed occurred in the West Pit as rock creek dams and
strawbales were visible on the December photo. In addition, vegetation along
the road appeared to have been removed suggesting the passage of some kind of
blade.
The gullies did not appear to grow significantly between June 29, 1990 and
June 4, 1991, and erosion below the road did not appear to be worse than that
above the road.
In conclusion, erosional features above and below the West Pit access road
appeared to have been developed between January 2, 1988, and January 4, 1989.
Erosion below the access road did not appear to be significantly worse than
erosion above the road. Minor road work appeared to have been performed
between June 29, 1990 and December 27, 1990.
CWB/eke/3516F