Laserfiche WebLink
for product coal. A loadout conveyor carries coal from the storage silos to the over-the-track <br /> loadout. A portion of this conveyor is completely enclosed as it crosses the North Fork of <br /> the Gunnison River and Highway 133. Coal is primarily shipped from the West Elk Mine by <br /> rail; however, some coal is trucked from the mine or transferred to various handling or <br /> stockpile facilities on the mine site. <br /> Refuse at the mine is generated during underground construction activities and mining. Other <br /> sources of refuse material are contaminated coal spillage, sediment pond dredgings, and soils <br /> contaminated with non-hazardous materials. These other sources of refuse only make up a <br /> small amount of the refuse produced at the mine. Refuse is currently being disposed onto a <br /> permanent refuse pile called the Lower Refuse Disposal Area. An Upper Refuse Disposal <br /> Area has also been approved for construction, and has not been built. Before the pile can be <br /> constructed, MCC must address a number of stipulations. an additional coal waste rock <br /> disposal area has been proposed by MCC. This is a 20-acre site to the east of the Lower <br /> Refuse Disposal Area and east of Sylvester Gulch. Use of the Refuse Pile Expansion area is <br /> pending Division approval. <br /> State Highway 133 provides the main access to the West Elk Mine. A haul road joins the <br /> highway east of the lower refuse pile and serves as the access to all facilities except the silo <br /> storage area. An old haul road accesses this area and other lower mine facilities, which is <br /> now considered an access road. Other access roads include the middle-mine facilities road <br /> and the Sylvester Gulch fan road. The Lone Pine Gulch road has been designated as a light- <br /> use road and provides access to a ventilation fan. <br /> Surface runoff from the disturbed area is treated by five ponds. One additional pond is <br /> proposed for Permit Revision No. 7. Sediment control pond SG-1 will be located within <br /> Sylvester Gulch to treat runoff from the disturbed area associated with proposed ventialtion <br /> shafts. MB-1 is a large upper pond that holds mine discharge water and drainage from the <br /> upper areas of the site including the mine bench. MB-2R is the large lower pond which treats <br /> drainage from a majority of the site, including the lower refuse pile. MB-3 is a small lower <br /> pond which treats drainage from the silo storage area. MB-4 serves the train loadout area and <br /> MB-5 treats drainage at the old Bear Mine site. Mountain Coal Company also has a <br /> freshwater pond, designated FWA, which provides two months' storage capacity for potable <br /> and domestic water uses. Another proposed freshwater pond, FW-2, has not been constructed <br /> at this time and is not planned for construction during this permit term. <br /> Topsoil storage areas are located on the east side of the surface facilities. This is known as <br /> the main topsoil stockpile and will be used during reclamation to cover the majority of the <br /> disturbance to a depth of 12 to 18 inches. Other topsoil and subsoil piles are located south of <br /> the lower refuse pile and on the reclaimed benches. These piles will primarily be used to <br /> cover the refuse pile with 18 to 24 inches of soil. <br /> The permit area covers approximately 7,840 acres. Of this total, about 108 acres are <br /> disturbed, which primarily includes surface facilities. With Permit Revision No. 7, proposes <br /> an additional disturbance of 62 acres. Surface lands are privately and federally owned. <br /> Atlantic Richfield Company, Larry and Elaine Mautz, and the U.S. Forest Service are the <br /> majority landowners of the permit area for the West Elk Mine. <br /> 16 <br />