_INSPECTION - C1991078 ‎(24)‎

• Permit No: C1991078
• IBM Index Class Name: INSPECTION
• Doc Name: Inspection Report
• Inspection Date: 6/18/2009
• Email Name: MLT
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Ill. COMMENTS -COMPLIANCE
Below are comments on the inspection. The comments include discussion of observations made
during the inspection. Comments also describe any enforcement actions taken during the inspection
and the facts or evidence supporting the enforcement action.
This was a Partial Inspection of the Hamilton Mine conducted by Marcia Talvitie of the Colorado
DRMS on Wednesday, 17 June 2009. Weather conditions were partly cloudy and breezy.
The inspection was initiated by Johnny Rich of Honeywood Coal Company. He contacted me
by phone on 15 June to let me know he would be in the area and to invite me to join him at the
site. We met at the Junction of SH 141 and SH 145 at 10:00 a.m. and drove to the mine site.
We were joined at the site by Mr. Galen Archer, who has been hired to provide weed control for
the site. We discussed the various weeds that have been observed at the site; and Mr. Archer
explained the various weed spray products and the anticipated effectiveness of each. He will
survey the entire area and create a map of the weed locations using GIS technology. All of the
locations will be sprayed two to three times this year and as often as needed in the succeeding
years to bring the weeds under control.
I provided Mr. Rich with a brief overview of the mining and reclamation history. Honeywood
wants to learn more about the reclamation and bond release processes. The mine was
reclaimed in 1993, and 90.2 acres were seeded with the approved seed mix. In 1995, due to a
drought in 1994, 92.5 acres were reseeded with the same mix. After limited success, 80 acres
were reseeded in 1998 with grass seed only. No additional seeding has been done since 1998.
Reveaetation
As noted in the Division's April inspection report, variations in revegetation may be due to
variability in the quality of topsoil. During this inspection, we looked at aerial photos, particularly
of Mine Area 1, and observed that some areas seem to be thriving while others are
comparatively barren of vegetation.
Topsoil
There are two or three topsoil stockpiles that were created during development of the haul
roads. Since it is the landowner's desire to keep the haul roads and not see them reclaimed (the
permit reflects this decision), these piles could perhaps be available to augment the quality of
soil in the zones that are barren.
Reclamation Success
Since the 1998 seeding, 11 years have gone by. Page 2.05-25(i) of the permit includes the
following:
"Reclamation success will be qualitatively evaluated during routine inspections of
the reclaimed sites. These evaluations shall include assessments of noxious
weeds, species diversity and the general health of the vegetation. Results of
these evaluations will be included in the annual reclamation reports required
under Rule 2.04.13."
Annual Reclamation Reports have been consistently submitted to the Division, as required.
However, results of the evaluations, as described above, have not been included. The Division
requests that Honeywood provide the required information at its earliest convenience.
Hamilton Mine C-1991-078 17-Jun-2009