GENERAL55403

• Permit No: C1981029
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 2/14/1986
• Doc Name: MEADOWS 1 HAUL ROAD BOND RELEASE REQUEST PN C-81-029
• From: MLRD
• To: JEFF DECKLER
• Permit Index Doc Type: GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

III IIIIIIIIIIIII III
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Davitl H. Getches. Executive Director
MINED LAND RECLAMATION DIVISION
DAVID C. SHELTO N, Director
Richartl D. Lamm
Governor
DATE
TO
February 14, 1986
Jeff Deckler
FROM: Jim Pendleton ~..- ~~=- --- --
RE: MEADOWS N0. L`~Uli ROAD BOND RELEASE REQUEST (PERMIT C-81-029)
Pursuant to your request, I reviewed the request for bond release submitted by
Sun Coal Company, a subsidiary of A. T. Massey. I've also reviewed the haul
road certification statements submitted by the company.
I read with particular interest the statements of the operator's consultant,
observing that portions of the haul road are unstable. It is interesting to
note that the observed areas of slope instability correllate almost exactly
with areas mapped as potentially unstable in a report entitled "Geotechnical
Investigation, Sun Coal Company, Inc., Meadows No. 1 Mine, Milner, Colorado,"
prepared by CTL/Thompson, INC. for the operator in July of 1977. This report,
not included in the original application submittal, presents the results of a
preliminary geotechnical investigation of the mine permit area. This report
clearly states that the area now referred to as the "Eilts Oil Well" and the
areas of continued slope instability in the vicinity of Culverts 5-10, were
referred in the 1977 report as potential locations of slope instability.
The operator's "Haul Road Certification Statement"
Enecotech, Inc., observes; "We are not certifying
road or adjacent slopes are structurally stable"..
"Areas where instability has been noted include:
- An area above the reclaimed coal crushing
- an area below Mr. Eilts oil well;
- an area between Culvert 5 and Culvert 6;
- an area above the road between Culvert 6
- the outslope between Culvert 6 and 10."
prepared by Ragen Heath of
that the existing access
.The report further states;
and storage area;
10; and
The Division's approval of the operator's "Haul Road Decomissioning Plan" was
conditioned upon a demonstration that the reclaimed configuration would be
stable. In my opinion, the haul road and the adjoining cut and embankment
slopes have proven to fail that conditional test. I recommend that we deny
bond release for the haul road and require the operator to mitigate all
existing slope stability problems at the site as soon as possible.
cc: Mike Long
s rs
7477E
423 Centennial Building, 1313 Sherman Street Denver, Colorado 80203 Tel. [phone]