Laserfiche WebLink
STATE OF COLORADO <br />DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING AND SAFETY <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman St., Room 215 <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />Phone: (303) 866-3567 <br />FAX: (303) 832-8106 <br />September 5, 2008 <br />Shina Duvall <br />Colorado Historical Society <br />The Colorado History Museum <br />Office Archeology & Historical Preservation <br />1300 Broadway <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />Re: West Elk Mine (Permit No. C-1980-007) <br />Technical Revision Application No. 113 (TR-113) <br />Box Canyon North Monitoring Well Installation <br />Dear Ms. Duvall: <br />The Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety hereby issues notice, in accordance with Title 34, Article 33, <br />Section 116, Paragraph 4, of the Colorado Revised Statutes, that on September 5, 2008, an application to revise <br />coal mining operations at the West Elk Mine was considered complete for the purposes of filing. The revision was <br />submitted by Mountain Coal Company, LLC. All review and comment periods as provided in the Act and the <br />Regulations initiate from this date of filing. <br />The mine operator proposes to drill a 6-inch diameter hole, approximately 400 feet deep, to the underground mine <br />workings. The hole will be used for monitoring water in the workings. This project will disturb approximately <br />9,000 square feet of private land for an access road and drill pad. The hole will be drilled in NE '/4 NW '/a Section <br />15, Township 13 South, Range 90 W. This location is in the previously approved affected (subsided) area, within <br />the permit area of the mine (please see attached map). The location is 30 feet from one of the mine's sediment <br />control ponds. The affected area at the drill site previously received cultural resources and state and federal fish <br />and wildlife clearance during the review of Permit Revision 8 in March 2000. Permit Revision 8 included surface <br />disturbances in this area resulting from underground mine subsidence, but did not include the well pad and <br />wellbore that are proposed in the current Technical Revision 113. <br />The underground coal mining operation is on land located approximately 9 miles East of Paonia, Colorado. The <br />permit area is further described as follows: <br />All or portions of. Sections 9 through 36 (inclusive), Township 13 South, Range 90 West; Sections 23 through 26 <br />(inclusive), Township 13 South, Range 91 West; and Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, Township 14 South, <br />Range 90 West; all of the 6th Principal Meridian. <br />The above-mentioned tracts of land are shown on USGS 7.5 minute Quadrangle map of Somerset. <br />COLORADO <br />D IV IS I ON OF <br />RECLAMATION <br />MINING <br />SAFETY <br />Bill Ritter, Jr. <br />Governor <br />Harris D. Sherman <br />Executive Director <br />Ronald W. Cattany <br />Division Director <br />Natural Resource Trustee <br />Office of <br />Mined Land Reclamation <br />Denver • Grand Junction • Durango <br />Office of <br />Active and Inactive Mines