2011-02-18_PERMIT FILE - M2011009

• Permit No: M2011009
• IBM Index Class Name: PERMIT FILE
• Doc Date: 2/18/2011
• Doc Name: Comments
• From: Teller-Park Conservation District
• To: DRMS
• Email Name: DB2
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Teller-Park SCD Office
Resources 112 S. Baldwin Street
V N Conservation Woodland Park, CO 80863
Service
Phone: [phone]
Leon. Kot@co. usda.gov
Fax: [phone]
February 7, 2011
Teller-Park Conservation District
800 Reasearch Dr, Suite 100
Woodland Park, CO 80863
Supervisors: - - - - - -- - This letter forwards my technical comments relating to the IGWT Mining Inc, proposed Hard
Rock/Metal Mining Operation (112) Mine Reclamation Permit for the old Hector Mine site
in Park County.
The site is approximately 100 acres in size and is planned for gold placer mining. Part of the new
work will be on a previously mined site, presumably a Limited Impact Permit site of less than 10
acres. The site has several sediment basins or water catchments to address drainage concerns,
with the largest one holding some water while the smaller one is at half or more capacity. A
drainageway is on the SE portion of the site, and a large capacity power transmission line is
overhead or adjacent to the south east end of the property.
My comments are based on discussing the permit site with our La Junta Office Area Engineer,
Mike Taylor, and John Segars of our local office, who on Nov. 17, 2010, made a site visit and
were met there by Rhonda London and her son Justin of IGWT Mining, Inc, Existing gravel and
rock/boulders range from less than a inch in diameter to several feet in diameter. Existing
vegetation ranged from trees and shrubs-mostly Englemann Spruce and Potentillas, to a sparse
population of grasses which included Junegrass, Squirreltail and Bluegrass. One concern that
was specifically addressed was that of the sediment basins having enough capacity to store
enough runoff from long term storms, such as 25 or 50 year peak flows. Mr. Taylor felt that this
was not going to be a problem and that there was enough design capacity to handle such runoff.
Although there is not a lot of detail in the permit application regarding the actual mining activities
and techniques that are planned, I have attached a summary sheet of pgtential reclamation
recommendations that NRCS uses for mine sites and reclamation. In general, we recommend:
1. Limit soil and vegetative disturbance to only areas needing it, and time such disturbance
to reduce the amount of time the areas are disturbed.
2. Stripping of the vegetation and topsoil before disturbance and storing it for later
reclamation/reseeding reuse. Spoil piles of topsoil, etc should be planted to a cover crop
if they are going to be left exposed and not reused for 1 year or longer.
3. Keep construction cuts for reclaimed, vegetative areas to a 3 to 1 slope or flatter,
although waste rock on the "angle of repose" is usually sufficient for large rock. Try to
keep slope lengths as short as possible, and install terraces and stable outlets as needed
to long slopes or berms.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service works hand-in-hand with USDA NRCS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
the American people to conserve natural resources on private lands. PROVIDER AND EMPLOYEER