2009-10-06_REVISION - C1984067

• Permit No: C1984067
• IBM Index Class Name: REVISION
• Doc Date: 10/6/2009
• Doc Name: Notification of TOJ
• From: DRMS
• To: Landowners
• Type & Sequence: SL1
• Email Name: TAK
• 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 C O L O RA D O
D I V IS I ON OF
Phone: [phone] RECLAMATION
FAX: [phone] MINING

October 6, 2009 SAFETY
Kenneth W. Root & Kay K Kunert Bill Ritter, Jr.
2497 CR 207 Governor
Durango, Co 81301 Harris D. Sherman
Executive Director
Re: Termination of Jurisdiction for the Coal Gulch Mine, DRMS File C-84-067 Ronald W. Cattany
Division Director
Natural Resource Trustee
Dear Sir or Madam
The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (Division) is initiating the process of terminating its jurisdiction
over the reclaimed Coal Gulch Mine. The Coal Gulch Mine was an underground coal mine where mining activities were
most recently conducted under mining and reclamation permit C-84-067, which was revoked in 1988. The site is located in
La Plata County, Colorado, 4.5 miles west of the town of Durango, next to U.S. Highway 160 on the north side of the road.
The permit area is located on private and state lands in portions of NW'/NW'/, N'/2 SW'/aNW '/ Section 22, N'hNW'/a,
and NE % Section 21, and Section 16, all located in T35N, R10W, of the New Mexico Principal Meridian. Coal ownership
is private and state. The permit area encompassed 725 acres, of which 16.5 acres of land surface were disturbed.
The mining and reclamation permit number for this site was C-84-067. The site was permitted in 1984 by Peerless
Resources Inc. who disturbed 16.5 acres on the site in preparation for underground mining, but ceased operations prior to
excavating a portal and underground entries. Some coal was surface-mined when the coal seam was exposed. The Mined
Land Reclamation Board revoked permit C-84-067 in January 1988 and ordered forfeiture of the $140,000 reclamation bond
in September 1990.
The Division reclaimed the disturbed area on the Coal Gulch site in September 1994 using all of the funds from the forfeited
bond. Reclamation work included: backfilling as much of the exposed mine highwall as funds allowed, allowing natural
drainage from the existing gulches to pass through "French" drains at the foot of Coal Gulch, backfilling exposed coal
seams, topsoiling and revegetating the disturbed area, and regrading and revegetating for treatment of mine water discharge
from a portal on the site from a pre-law mine portal. The Division had the site sprayed for thistle in 2001. No additional
funds are available for site maintenance.
Successful achievement of reclamation of the site has been demonstrated during the last 15 years by: stability of slopes;
local successful revegetation of grasses, forbs, and shrubs; lack of noxious weeds on most of the site; minimization of
impacts to the hydrologic balance within the previously permitted area; and prevention of material damage to the hydrologic
balance outside of the permitted area.
Written comments, objections, and requests for an informal conference or a formal public hearing before the Colorado
Mined Land Reclamation Board may be submitted to the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology at the address above
within 30 days of the site inspection that will be conducted for this termination of jurisdiction. If you have any questions,
comments, or concerns regarding this termination of jurisdiction, please contact the Colorado Division of Reclamation,
Mining and Safety at 1313 Sherman St, Room 215, Denver, Colorado, 80203 or call [phone], extension 8128.
Sincerely,
7-kv-11 /cr.
Tom Kaldenbach
Environmental Protection Specialist
Certified Mail - Retum Receipt Requested, Article no. 7005 0390 0002 8281 8502
Office of Office of
Mined Land Reclamation Denver • Grand Junction • Durango Active and Inactive Mines