2008-10-06_PERMIT FILE - C1981041A (3)

Home Browse Search

Overland Conveyor and Railroad Spur The overland conveyor corridor south of 19/10 road will be converted to industrial use. All disturbance and reclamation in this area was performed upon lands owned by Union Pacific Railroad. All structures have been removed and regrading and re-vegetation was completed in 2004. The UPRR continues to use portions of the reclaimed areas for their maintenance equipment and for storing of materials during times of repair of the rail line. The final contours for the Overland Conveyor and the Railroad spur are shown on Exhibits 7C and 10C. These contours are similar to the existing contours. Concrete footers and stemwalls remaining after salvage were either buried with a minimum of 4- feet of cover or hauled to an offsite disposal area. Coal spillage was cleaned-up and hauled to a refuse pile. Light Use Road 5 was eliminated. The berm along the River will remain in place as a permanent structure. The holes remaining at Transfer 2 and 3 were backfilled with adjacent material and the conveyor culvert under the county road near Transfer 3 was partially removed and backfilled. The area between the conveyor corridor and haul road number 3 was disturbed when the overland conveyor and unit train loadout were being constructed. This area is between the lower segment of Coal Canyon and the rail loop to the north and south respectively. Topsoil was not salvaged from the area. The area is relatively flat and the ground surface blends into adjacent areas. Woody plants (greasewood and rabbitbrush) were either seeded or have invaded the area over the years. Reclamation in this area will involve some seeding as well as interseeding in areas dominated by woody plants to enhance diversity and to establish a perennial vegetation component. Unit Train Loadout The final contours for the Unit Train Loadout (UTL) are shown of Exhibit 11 C. Cross sections representing the existing and final grades are shown on Exhibit 59. These contours were designed to follow the approximate original contours including a mound near the current stockpile area, see Exhibit 11 D for the pre-mining contours. Grading on this site will primarily involve eliminating the embankment from the rail loop and the stockpile. Topsoil for this area was not stockpiled in isolated piles but was used in the rail loop and stockpile embankments. Soil sampling will be done on these embankments while grading to determine the order of placement for fill and topsoil. The railroad ballast will be included in the fill material unless salvaged for other uses. The remaining coal on the stockpile will be sold or hauled to the refuse disposal area. Coal remnants will be placed in the non-coal waste disposal area located at the UTL. The concrete from footers, stemwalls and the stockpile reclaim tunnel will be placed in the non-coal waste disposal area or buried in place with a minimum of 4-feet of cover. Access road 1A, located at the South Portal to be constructed as part of the reclamation process, will "borrow" material from the UTL area. As can be seen on 11 C, the UTL has a hill located northwest of the irrigation ditch. This hill is considered excess material that can be used at the south portal. The size of the hill at the UTL was reduced on Exhibit 11C to reflect the anticipated amount of material that will be used at the south portal. The existing wetland/riparian areas in the immediate vicinity of the unit train loadout have been created or enhanced by the railroad berm. During regrading of the area, disturbance of these areas will be minimized. The flood irrigation ditch system will be reestablished and the system will be connected to the Highline Canal. This will provide for restoration of the essential hydrologic function of flood irrigation. (Reference Appendix 21-2 page 6) TR-57 14-9 Rev. 07/08