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STATE OF COLORADO % s <br />DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING AND SAFETY <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman St., Room 215 <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />Phone: (303) 866-3567 <br />FAX: (303) 832-8106 <br /> <br />May 31, 2011 <br />Scott Lamb <br />i ' Soward Ranch, LLC <br />Box 130 <br />Creede, CO 81130 <br />RmC WD <br />JUN 06 2011 <br />Division at Reclamation, <br />Mining and Safety <br />COLORADO <br />D I V I S I O N O F <br />RECLAMATION <br />MINING <br />SAFETY <br />John W. Hickenlooper <br />Governor <br />Mike King <br />Executive Director <br />Loretta E. Pineda <br />Director <br />Re: Soward Ranch Pit, Permit M-1988-021', Amendment AM-1, Preliminary Adequacy Review Letter. <br />Dear Mr. Lamb, <br />This office has reviewed the amendment application named above for technical adequacy, and has determined that <br />there are still several items that must be clarified or revised. Several questions also arose during the Division's May <br />20, 2011 inspection, which are appropriate to include in this letter. Please address each of the following items: <br />Mining Plan - Rule 6.3.3 <br />The existing pit floor is about six feet deeper than the adjacent staging area (which daylights at the same elevation as <br />the undisturbed land on the west). Do you propose to continue to excavate in the new amended area at the same <br />"lower" pit floor elevation? Do you propose to excavate material in the staging area to lower its elevation? Do you <br />propose to place any materials in the floor of the existing pit to raise its elevation? <br />Exposing groundwater should be avoided. Please indicate that you are aware that deeper mining may expose <br />groundwater, which is not an approved part of your permit. <br />Future mining activities will include excavation, stockpiling, screening and crushing. Some equipment will only be <br />onsite seasonally or periodically. If additional activities are to be included under this amendment, please provide that <br />information for this office to assess. <br />If there will be fuel or other fluids stored onsite, please commit to providing and maintaining secondary containment <br />that is sufficiently sized and is impermeably lined. It must be adequate to hold all fluids in case of leaks or spills, and <br />must prevent soil and water contamination. <br />At least six inches of topsoil depth must be replaced on disturbed areas during reclamation. Please commit to <br />stripping and salvaging a minimum of that amount of topsoil throughout the mining phase of this permit. <br />Previous test holes in the amended area indicate that there may be topsoil depths far in excess of the minimum <br />amount required during reclamation. During the recent pre-operation inspection, the question was asked about <br />possible selling of excess topsoil (excess topsoil being an amount above the minimum amount needed to satisfy the <br />reclamation plan). If you can commit to salvaging, protecting, and maintaining adequate stockpiles of topsoil for <br />later reclamation, this office could approve this as a future practice under the amended plan. If this is a desired <br />activity, please commit to maintaining adequate topsoil stockpiles. <br />Office of Office of <br />Mined Land ReClamatiglT,; RqPver Grand lu(tctigF Durango Active artd.,Inactive Mines <br />4 _4