2010-01-04_PERMIT FILE - M2009078

• Permit No: M2009078
• IBM Index Class Name: PERMIT FILE
• Doc Date: 1/4/2010
• Doc Name: Response to adequacy review
• From: Greg Lewicki and Associates, PLLC
• To: DRMS
• Email Name: GRM
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Greg Lewicid And Associates PLLC 6"1
11541 Warrington Court Phone: [phone] Fax [phone]
Parker, CO USA 80138 F, Mail: [e-mail]
December 29, 2009 cgIVED
06M5 1 2010 ANN 4 2010
G. Russ Means JAN t.:f_D OFFICE
101 South 3rd, Suite 301, pivi,60n of Reclamation, Or
Grand Junction, CO 81501 Mining and Safety ;v,, IJ! iih0 SAFETY
RE: Adequacy Review of Gehrman Pit DRMS Permit M-2009-078
In response to the adequacy review from the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining,
and Safety and objection letter from Jay Wagner, several changes have been made to the
permit application. The individual adequacy items are addressed as follows and in the
permit text.
6.4.3 (a) - The Wagner property label has been moved on Map C-1 to be more visible.
The Quillen property in question is the Bunn Ranch site, that at the time of the
application was in mid-purchase between Elam Construction and Robert Quillen.
6.4.3 (d) - Table E-1 has been expanded to give further detail of the breakdown of all of
the areas disturbed. Sediment pond and berm areas will be reclaimed with the dryland
seed mix.
6.4.4(c) - The Yampa River flood water will not enter the pit until it reaches an elevation
of at least 6190'. By this time, the Ana Branch will already have flooded the pit.
The low point (elev: 6187') on the Gehrman Pit is on the north side of the pit, just after
the Ana Branch turns west. Considering that the Ana Branch and Yampa River will raise
in water level at roughly the same rate, this low point will be where flood waters enter the
pit. At this point, there is 75 feet of in-place material between the Ana Branch and the pit.
The reclaimed pit lake will be only three feet below the low point at an elevation of
6184'. This slope is being installed at 3H:1 V and vegetated. It is highly unlikely that this
area will erode due to flooding once reclaimed.
The primary reason for the inflow-outflow structures on the Bunn Ranch site is to prevent
the Yampa River from moving into a new channel that flows through the pit lakes.
Flooding at the Gehrman pit is due mostly to the rising of the Ana Branch during high
flows, with some additional water from the Yampa at even higher flows. The Ana Branch
flood waters enter and exit the Gehrman on the same side of the sight, and do not try to
create a new channel across the site, unlike the Yampa across Bunn Ranch. Since the Ana
Branch flooding is not in danger establishing a new channel that passes through the
Gehrman site and the low point is highly unlikely to erode, there is no need to build an
inflow-outflow structure at the Gehrman Pit