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<br />PROJECT NARRATIVE <br />ALLEN PROJECT <br />The Allen Project involves reclamation of several coal waste piles associated <br />with the Allen mine between Stonewall and Weston on the Middle Fork of the <br />Purgatoire River. The waste piles lie between Colorado Highway 12 and the <br />river. The Dolores Duran irrigation ditch flows through the project area <br />between the waste piles and is impacted by the coal waste. The project area is <br />adjacent to the disturbed portion of the current CMLRD permit area for the New <br />Elk coal mine. Please refer to the accompanying map which outlines the project <br />area and describes the geographical place names utilized for this project. <br />The channel of the river shall be widened to a minimum width of 40 feet through <br />the project area. In the lower portion of the project area the channel will be <br />50 to 60 feet wide to further reduce water heights and flow velocities during <br />large flood events. This widened channel area shall also serve as a transition <br />zone whereby flood waters travelling through the relatively narrow, man-made <br />channel on the upstream, active mine property can be transferred to the natural <br />channel downstream which has a relatively wide floodplain. <br />Coal waste within the project area shall be graded into an approximately 4:1 or <br />flatter configuration, and one or more surface water diversion ditches shall be <br />constructed on the 4:1 slopes to direct runoff from the regraded elopes and <br />reduce rill erosion. Coal waste material generated while grading the waste <br />piles into a et able configuration shall be used as fill in the West, Middle, <br />and East Arroyos and along the current alignment of the Dolores Duran ditch. <br />The sharp, nearly right-angle bends in the river immediately downstream of the <br />intake for the irrigation ditch shall be eliminated by removal of the coal <br />waste in this area. The new channel bank in this segment shall have a <br />gradually bending configuration which shall blend with the upstream and <br />downstream channel banks. <br />An existing metal culvert beneath Colorado Highway 12 in the West Arroyo shall <br />be extended on grade to the river, and then covered with coal waste material. <br />If allowed by the Colorado Department of Highways, the drainage ditch along the <br />north side of the highway shall be regraded to allow surface water runoff which <br />presently flows beneath the highway through a culvert in the Middle Arroyo to <br />be diverted to the box culvert in the East Arroyo. The Middle Arroyo culvert <br />will be plugged with concrete, and the Middle Arroyo within the project area <br />would then be backfilled with coal waste material. If the Highway Department <br />does not give consent to abandon the Middle Arroyo, then the culvert beneath <br />the highway also shall be extended to the river prior to backfilling. A <br />drainage ditch shall be constructed along the south aide of the highway to <br />carry surface runoff from part of the project area to the East Arroyo. Runoff <br />flowing down the East Arroyo within part of the project area would also be <br />contained within a culvert which will be covered with coal waste material. The <br />inlet for the new East Arroyo culvert would be about 85 feet downstream of the <br />existing concrete box culvert to allow for entrance of flows from the south <br />road ditch. <br />The current irrigation ditch alignment shall be abandoned and backfilled with <br />coal waste. A new, reinforced concrete inlet structure with trash rack and <br />sediment trap will be installed at about the same location as the current ditch <br />intake. flock riprap will be installed about ten feet laterally around the <br />