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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 Phone: (303) 866-3567 D I V I S ION OF RECLAMATION 1118 3?8met2-r 8T62009 ov , MINI NG Kent Grant - District Forester SAFETY Durango District Office FLC 7233 Bill Ritter, Jr. 1000 Rim Drive Governor Fort Lewis College Campus Harris D. Sherman Durango, CO 81301-3908 Executive Director Ronald W. Cattany Re: Termination of Jurisdiction for the Coal Gulch Mine DRMS File C-84-067 Division Director N l , atura 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coal mine where mining activities were most recently conducted under mining and reclamation permit C-84-067, which was revoked in 1988.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'/NW '/ Section 22, N'hNW'/, 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 (303) 866-3567, extension 8128. Sincerely, Tom Kaldenbach Environmental Protection Specialist Certified Mail - Return Receipt Requested Article no 7008 1140 0003 4437 1625 Office of Office of Mined Land Reclamation Denver - Grand Junction - Durango Active and Inactive Mines