2008-01-14_REPORT - C1981014

• Permit No: C1981014
• IBM Index Class Name: REPORT
• Doc Date: 1/14/2008
• Doc Name: 2006 Revegetation Monitoring Report Review Letter
• From: DRMS
• To: Energy Fuels Mining Company
• Permit Index Doc Type: Reveg Monitoring Report
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

STATE OF COLORADO
DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING AND SAFETY
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman St., Room 215
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
January 14, 2008
George Patterson
Energy Fuels Mining Company
P.O. Box 449
COLORADO
DIVISION O F
RECLAMATION
MINING
- ~t-
SAFETY
Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor
Harris D. Sherman
Executive Director
Florence, CO 81226 Ronald W. Cattany
Division Director
al Resource Trustee
RE: Revegetation Monitoring Report Review, Southfield Mine, Permit No. C-81-~~`~
Dear Mr. Patterson:
Please find comments from Sandy Brown of the Division regarding the 2006 Revegetation
Monitoring Report for the Southfield Mine.
I have reviewed the report titled, "Revegetation Monitoring Report for Reclaimed Areas Sampled in 2006
on the Southfield Mine". The report was prepared by Kent Crofts of IME for Energy Fuels Coal, Inc.
During the summer of 2006, IME sampled the areas seeded in 2003 and 2004 at the Southfield Mine and
also at the loadout. The reclaimed mine lands are owned by the Vento family and the Corley family.
Sampling was broken out by land ownership and the loadout for a total of three separate sampling units.
Cover, production, woody plant density and species diversity were evaluated.
IME did an excellent job of sampling and reporting the data. Overall, the revegetation is progressing very
well. The reclamation is dominated by native cool season grasses, which is to be expected, and there is
good species composition. There are some annual and biennial species but noxious weeds are not a
problem.
Based on the sampling results it appears the revegetation is progressing well toward achieving revegetation
success at this point in time with the exception of the species diversity standard. Currently, the species
diversity standard requires, "the reclaimed plant community shall be composed of at least four dominant
species comprising no more than 80 percent of the total relative plant cover. Warm season gasses shall
comprise at least 50 percent of the total plant cover composition." Cover data shows that this standard is
not close to be achieved. IME has evaluated the baseline data for the mine site and for the reference areas
and the warm season species do not contribute this much relative cover in the pre-mining data. IME
recommends at the end of the report that EFCI submit a revision to species diversity to modify the standard
to be more representative of the native vegetation in the area. I believe this is a good recommendation and
I suggest we ask EFCI to submit a revision to do so in the next midterm review or permit renewal.
Sin er ~y,
Ke orham
Environmental Protection Specialist II
Office of Office of
Mined Land Reclamation Denver • Grand Junction Durango Active and Inactive Mines