Laserfiche WebLink
(Page 2) <br />MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID #: M- 1981 -3n7 <br />INSPECTION DATE: 121am9 INSPECTOR ❑S INITIALS: —Sly <br />OBSERVATIONS <br />The Division conducted a follow up monitoring inspection of the site as part of sites to <br />be inspected during fiscal years 2009 and 2010. The site is a very large 605 acres phased <br />;112 sand and gravel operation located within the city limits of Fountain Colorado. <br />;Present during the inspection was Mr. Rusty Cocrhan of Lafarge. <br />!Permit sign was properly posted at the access to the property. The entire permit area is <br />!fenced. To the East of the Lafarge operation is another large operation by Kiewit <br />(construction, where Lafarge under their permit operated and reclaimed the area they <br />affected. The site was not active at the time of the inspection, and according to Rusty <br />iit has been in active for the past month. The entire area was driven and inspected. <br />The current warranty for the site covers a maximum of 300 acres with a warranty of <br />1$702,320.00. It appears from the annual report maps and what was observed on site, the <br />,maximum affected area has been reached. DRMS requests the operator to either provide a <br />;survey of the affected acres or provide additional warranty to cover the acres that the <br />loperator plans to affect in the next year. Since very little reclamation has taken place <br />!at the time of the inspection the Division advises Lafarge to post additional warranty <br />(prior to affecting additional acres. Rusty stated that within the next few weeks Lafarge <br />jis going to bring on site a D -9 and a D -8 dozers and plans to conduct extensive backfill <br />hand grading of most of the high walls noted at the time of the inspection. Be that as it <br />may, until a site is released from financial warranty responsibilities, through either a <br />warranty reduction process or a warranty release process, to the Division it is still <br />laffected and requires a warranty. <br />'The affected acres of this large pit extending North to south include 6 pits areas. The <br />(current active mining pit area was in the center of the current affected area. The <br />Sothern portion of the permit area consisting of three mined out area covers <br />!approximately over 100 acres. The extreme south eastern portion of the pit IS the largest <br />jarea that is mined out and with extensive high walls running north to south measuring <br />!anywhere from 45 feet in height to 15 feet in height. High walls were stable and no major <br />(surface failures were noted. Some of the graded slopes along the south eastern side <br />!showed large gullies. Since the runoff from these gullies is captured with in the pit and <br />!that the operator plans to address the reclamation of these mined out areas within the <br />Inext few weeks, DBMS will not site it as a possible problem. <br />!As stated in the previous inspections the operation consists of utilizing very long <br />conveyer systems to process and transport the material after it is washed to a <br />!stockpiling area. The old wash ponds were not noted at the time of the inspection, it <br />;appears the filled up and now are part of the Southern pit expansion area. However there <br />was fresh water pond partially frozen noted in the middle of the active mining area. The <br />operation never discharged from these settling wash fine ponds, according to Rusty and <br />!there was no need to obtain a discharge permit. <br />Large processed material was noted scattered throughout the affected area of <br />approximately 300 acres. Even though the current warranty is adequate to cover the cost <br />of affected areas, Lafarge can not affect additional acres until a proper survey of the <br />,current affected acres is provided to verify that the acres affected did not exceed 300 <br />, acres. The Division is cognizant of the affect that the operator plans to conduct <br />lextensive reclamation in the next few weeks. DRMS request the operator to contact the <br />Division once the proposed reclamation is conducted to verify the acres backfilled and <br />,graded, and an appropriate map is provided giving actual acres reclaimed. <br />iAt this time Lafarge can not affect additional acres until additional <br />!warranty is posted to cover the proposed disturbance for next year. Since <br />the Division did not utilize a GPS to measure the current affected areas, <br />the Division will accept Rusty's estimate that it did not exceed 300 <br />