Laserfiche WebLink
production panels depends on physical conditions and the mining methods <br /> selected. Using room and pillar methods, it is expected that 50 percent of <br /> the coal reserves will be recovered from the F and B seams . With longwall <br /> mining, about 70 percent of the coal reserves in the B seam will be recovered. <br /> No major buildings , major structures , occupied dwellings , cemeteries, parks, <br /> railroads or highways overlay the coal to be mined. Two reservoirs lie close <br /> to the F seam outcrop; however, neither is directly over the coal to be mined. <br /> Explosives at the mine are only occasionally used for underground construction <br /> purposes. Very little explosives are required for this purpose. West Elk <br /> does have an explosives magazine located on site. <br /> The West Elk Mine portals are situated at an approximate elevation of <br /> 6,450 feet. Run-of-mine coal is transported from the production panels to the <br /> various surface facilities by a system of belt conveyors . A conveyor carries <br /> coal from inside the mine portal to the stacking tubes . From the stacking <br /> tubes, an underground conveyor reclaim system will transport the coal to the <br /> two crushers . A conveyor then moves the coal from the crushers to the two <br /> storage silos . A loadout conveyor carries coal from the storage silos to the <br /> over-the-track loadout. A portion of this conveyor is completely enclosed as <br /> it crosses the North Fork of the Gunnison River and Highway 133. Coal is <br /> primarily shipped from the West Elk Mine by rail ; however, some coal is <br /> trucked from the mine or transferred to various handling or stockpile <br /> facilities on the mine site. <br /> Refuse at the mine is generated during underground construction activities and <br /> mining. Other sources of refuse material are contaminated coal spillage, <br /> sediment pond dredgings , and soils contaminated with non-hazardous materials. <br /> These other sources of refuse only make up a small amount of the refuse <br /> produced at the mine. Refuse is currently being disposed onto a permanent <br /> refuse pile called the Lower Refuse Disposal Area. An Upper Refuse Disposal <br /> Area has also been approved for construction. At this time , however, the <br /> upper pile has not been built. MCC anticipates that the lower pile will be <br /> sufficient to accommodate additional refuse and the upper pile will not have <br /> to be built. Currently, a rotary breaker is being utilized to separate refuse <br /> material from sellable coal . It is planned that crushers will replace the <br /> rotary breaker. Once the crushers are operational , very little, if any, coal <br /> processing waste will be produced. <br /> State Highway 133 provides the main access to the West Elk Mine. A haul road <br /> joins the highway east of the lower refuse pile and serves as the access to <br /> all facilities except the silo storage area. An old haul road accesses this <br /> area and other lower mine facilities , which is now considered an access road. <br /> Other access roads include the middle-mine facilities road and the Sylvester <br /> Gulch fan road. <br /> Surface runoff from the disturbed area is treated by six ponds . MB-1 is a <br /> large upper pond that holds mine discharge water and drainage from the upper <br /> areas of the site including the mine bench. MB-2 is a large lower pond which <br /> treats drainage from the shop/warehouse pad. MB-3 is a small lower pond which <br /> treats drainage from the silo storage area. MB-4 serves the train loadout <br /> area and MB-5 treats drainage at the old Bear Mine site. MB-6 treats drainage <br /> from the lower refuse pile. Mountain Coal Company also has a freshwater pond, <br /> -22- <br />