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STATE OF COLORADO <br />DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman St., Room 215 C O L O RA D O <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 O I v I S l O N O F <br />M 1 N <br />RA L$ <br />Phone: (3031 866.3567 s <br />FAX: 1303) 832$106 G E O L O G Y <br /> RE CIANAT ION•NIN ING <br /> <br />DATE: January 25, 2005 UFFTY•S Qf NGE <br /> Bill Owens <br />TO: Tom Schreiner eovemor <br /> Greg E. Walther <br />FROM: Allen Sorenson ~ Executive Direaa <br /> Ronald W. ranany <br /> Division DirecYOr <br />RE: Review of the Geotechnical Aspects of the Application, Clear Creek Natural Resource Trustee <br />District Water Providers, I.LC, MMRR Quarry, File No. M-2004-067 <br />The Division of Minerals and Geology (DMG) engineering staff have completed a review of the <br />MMRR Quarry application. In accordance with your request, the review was limited to those portions <br />of the application related to blasting, rock mechanics, and slope stability. The following issues were <br />identified and must be addressed by the Applicant before that DMG can recommend approval of the <br />application. <br />1. Ettastine Plan <br />The application provides a very generalized discussion of mitigation measures to be employed to <br />control offsite impacts that maybe caused by development and production blasting. Importantly, the <br />application states that blasting will "comply with the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) Guidance <br />Manual and other regulatory requirements." Adherence to OSM guidelines is satisfactory to meet the <br />DMG requirement to prevent offsite damage from ground vibration, air overpressure, and flyrock. <br />However, DMG will require submittal of a concise blasting plan prior to the DMG date for <br />consideration of the application, or a commitment to gain approval of a blasting plan through the <br />technical revision process prior to the initiation of blasting at the site. The only problem identified in <br />the genera] discussion of blasting included in the pending application is the proposal to control ground <br />vibration with a standard of 2 inches per second (ips) peak particle velocity at the permit boundary. <br />Since the development and production blasts will generate a ]ow frequency (less than 40 hertz) <br />component of ground vibration, DMG will require that peak particle velocity be less than 0.75 ips at <br />any structures not owned or controlled by the quarry operation and less than 0.5 ips at any older <br />structures with plaster-on-lath walls that may be within the zone of influence of quarry blast ground <br />vibrations.' <br />2. Cut Slopes in Access Road Corridor and Processing_Area <br />The cut slopes proposed are largely in excess of 50 feet in height and up to 150+ feet in height, but no <br />benching is proposed. These slopes should be benched to allow for revegetation of bench surfaces and <br />to provide catchments for rock fall. The Applicant must either provide a benching plan for the access <br />road and process plant cuts, or provide a justification for not installing benches. <br />3. Highwall Stability and Reclamation Costs <br />The application commits to benching of the quarry walls to a stable configuration at the perimeter of <br />the proposed "ten-yeaz"mining area. However, if the reclamation bond were to forfeit prior to <br />completion of the "ten-year" mine plan, and the final benching configuration were not in place at the <br />Offrce of Office of Exhibit 131 Colorado <br />Mined Lard Reclamation Active and Inactive Mines Geological Survey <br />