_INSPECTION - C1981008 (41) - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

III. QQMMENTS -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 New Horizon Mine conducted by Marcia Talvitie of the Colorado DRMS beginning at 11:20 a.m. on Thursday, 15 April 2010. Tom Fry represented the operator, Western Fuels - Colorado, and was present throughout the entire inspection. Skies were clear and the temperature was approximately 700. The primary purpose of this inspection was to evaluate the ongoing processes of topsoil and "Bench 1" salvage, handling, and replacement for permit areas located west of 2700 Road (Morgan, Lloyd and WFC parcels). The Office of Surface Mining received a citizen complaint (dated 23 March 2010) from Ms. JoEllen Turner on 29 March, and issued a Ten-Day Notice (TDN) to the Division on the 15t of April. The TDN was received by the Division on Tuesday, 6 April 2010. The alleged violation is that the reclamation (specifically of the Morgan property) does not meet the requirements of the Colorado Regulatory Program. In addition, Ms. Turner had recently contacted the Division, alleging that "Bench I" material is being removed from the Morgan property and that such activity is in violation of the permit. Prime Farmlands • There were no active topsoil salvage, hauling or redistribution operations occurring at the time of the inspection. • On the Morgan property, "Lift A" topsoil (ranging from approximately 18" to 36" in thickness) has been stripped (by bulldozer) and salvaged (by shovel and haul truck) in advance of the mining operation. A berm of Lift A topsoil varying in height from 1 to 3 feet was established at the edge of the undisturbed field (Photo 1). • Lift B topsoil had also been salvaged ahead of the pit, but not as for west as Lift A had been. The thickness of the B-Lift, visible on the excavated face, was highly variable, ranging from 5 feet at the southern end of the Morgan property (Photo 1) to as deep as 10 feet in the middle,and then thinning again northward. The entire thickness of Lift B has been salvaged. • Topsoil Lifts A and B are clearly differentiated by color, and WFC's efforts (ongoing since February 2008) to salvage and stockpile the lifts separately appear to be in accordance with the requirements of the permit as revised with TR-57. Bench 1 Material - • Exposed In situ "Bench 1" material of varying thickness was present the full length of the open pit from the southern limit, located on Morgan property (Photo 2), to the northern extent on the WFC (formerly Johnson) parcel. • The thickness of Bench 1 material replaced on Morgan property commonly ranges between 20 and 30 feet (Photo 3). The uppermost 4 feet is evaluated for percentage of rock fragments,and the upper 26 inches is sampled and analyzed for "subsoil suitability" criteria. • 1 asked Tom about the handling of Bench 1 material-specifically: is WFC removing Bench 1 material from the Morgan property and hauling it to non-Morgan property? Tom stated that Bench 1 is excavated from Morgan property in advance of the pit and hauled to Morgan property behind the pit for placement as the uppermost backfill layer, which is the shortest (and most economical) haul. On occasion, because of the location of the haul rood, some Morgan Bench 1 may be placed north of the property line. • Bench 1 material, even when located beneath Prime Farmland (Morgan) is not considered New Horizon Mine C-1981-008 15-Apr-2010 -1-