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 60203 <br />Phone: (303) 866-3567 <br />FAX: (303) 832-8106 <br />5 March 2009 <br />Mr. Jerry Nettleton <br />BTU Empire Corporation <br />29515 RCR 27 <br />Oak Creek, CO 80467 <br />Re: Eagle 5 & 9 Mines C-1981-044 <br />2007 Annual Reclamation Report <br />Dear Mr. Nettleton: <br />COLORADO <br />D I V I S I ON O F <br />RECLAMATION <br />MINING <br />SAFETY <br />Bill Ritter, Jr. <br />Governor <br />Harris D. Sherman <br />Exeaitive Director <br />Ronald W. Cattany <br />Division Director <br />Natural Resource Trustee <br />The Division has received the BTU Empire Corporation's (BTUEC) submittal of the <br />2007 Annual Reclamation Report for the Eagle Mine Complex. Thank you for your <br />timely submittal of this report. The Eagle Mine Complex is in Temporary Cessation and <br />no new disturbance, backfilling and grading, topsoil replacement or seeding activities <br />were performed during the 2007 reporting year. <br />BTUEC has been and continues to perform ongoing site maintenance and monitoring <br />activities. The maintenance activities included pest and weed control, clean-out of <br />drainage structures and clean-up and removal of miscellaneous equipment and debris <br />from around the site. Additionally, it was noted (in the 2007 ARR and on subsequent <br />field inspections) that there was a pipeline rupture, resulting in a small oil spill, on the <br />BTUEC property but outside of the permit area. Although the area is outside the Eagle <br />Mine Complex permit boundary, this area has been inspected on several occasions since <br />the incident and the Division has no questions or concerns regarding the clean-up <br />activities. In addition to the surface mining related activities at the site, three areas on the <br />site, which sits on an alluvial valley floor, were also used for hay farming. Based on the <br />review of the 2007 ARR, the Division has the following question. <br />There is an error on the "Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology Annual <br />Reclamation Report" form for the 2007 reporting year. The first set of boxes, <br />the land status category, states that there is a cumulative total of 422 disturbed <br />acres, with no areas backfilled or topsoiled. The second set of boxes, the <br />seeding boxes, states the entire 422 acres has been seeded. This is broken <br />down into 3.2 acres that have been seeded 10 years or less and 258.8 acres <br />that have been seeded greater than 10 years. This seeding total is 262 acres. <br />Office of Office of <br />Mined Land Reclamation Denver • Grand Junction • Durango Active and Inactive Mines