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1 <br />Project Overview <br />Western Fuels-Utah, Inc. (WFU) operates the Deserado Coal Mine under a permit (Permit <br />' No. C-81-018) issued by the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (DMG). Location <br />of the mine is approximately eight miles east of Rangely, Colorado off of State Highway 64. <br />The Deserado Mine is an underground coal mine utilizing the longwall method of coal <br />' extraction. Continuous miners are also used to develop mains and gate roads. The run-of- <br />mine coal is crushed and washed in the on-site preparation plant. Washed coal is shipped <br />to the Bonanza Power Generating Station by rail. The refuse remaining after the coal <br />washing process is shipped by haul trucks to refuse storage piles. There are three refuse <br />piles, RP-1 RP-2/3, and RP-4. The refuse pile RP-1 is full and was reclaimed in the summer <br />of 1990. <br />According to the permit, refuse piles must be reclaimed with a minimum topsoil and subsoil <br />cover of four feet. WFU estimates that available subsoil and topsoil quantities are adequate <br />' to cover refuse pile RP-1. However, these quantities are inadequate to meet the four-foot <br />cover requirement for other planned refuse piles. Consequently, WFU needs a DMG <br />variance from the four-foot cover criterion. To obtain this variance, a demonstration of <br />t revegetation success using less than four feet of cover must be provided. <br />The purpose of this study is to investigate whether successful revegetation can be achieved <br />with atopsoil/subsoil cover thickness of less than four feet. If the study shows that a lower <br />topsoil/subsoil cover thickness can achieve successful revegetation, then WFU will apply to <br />' DMG for a variance from the four feet cover requirement and establish the thickness shown <br />to be adequate by the study as the revegetation success standard. <br />' WFU has coordinated with DMG and has agreed upon a study plan that will provide the <br />demonstration of revegetation success with less than four feet of cover. Objectives of the <br />study are: <br />t • Using the reference plots, define revegetation success criteria for vegetative cover, <br />production, species diversity, and woody plant density for statistical evaluation of test plot <br />revegetation success. <br />• Assess the revegetation success of test plots with northern and southern exposures and <br />12-inch, 24-inch, 36-inch, and 48-inch topsoil/subsoil cover thicknesses over a four grow- <br />ing season period. <br />• Determine the minimal cover thickness with which successful revegetation of the refuse <br />piles can be achieved. <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />