2011-10-03_APPLICATION CORRESPONDENCE - C1981015

Home Browse Search

McClane Canyon Mine Expansion and Fruita Loadout Facility Biological Assessment Final restoration at the coal mine waste disposal pile would occur after it reaches its final capacity. Cover material and topsoil are contemporaneously placed on the pile. Final reclamation involves covering the remainder of the pile with cover material and topsoil, seeding, and mulching. 2.3.2 Loadout Facility To transport coal on the Union Pacific railroad mainline to markets east and west of Colorado, CAM is proposing to construct a unit train Loadout Facility approximately 18 miles south of the McClane Canyon Mine. A total of 43.88 acres would be disturbed during construction of the Loadout Facility. Surface disturbance associated with the Loadout Facility would primarily occur from construction of haul roads, an access road, light use roads, a truck dump (coal off - loading area), a coal stockpile, a loading system, and a rail loop and spur track. Other facilities and utilities required for the operation of the Loadout Facility would result in additional surface disturbances including: maintenance trailer, fuel tank, power line, transformer, motor control center, and three sediment ponds. Haul trucks would transport clean coal from the Mine to the Loadout Facility via State Highway 139 and U.S. Highway 6 /State Highway 50. Operation of the Loadout Facility would require approximately 9.7 acre -feet per year of water depletions for dust suppression, and losses through evaporation. Access Road. An approximate 0.25 mile gravel road would provide access to the Loadout Facility for Loadout Facility operators and commercial vehicles. The road would be reclaimed after the life of the Proposed Action. Haul Roads. Haul Road #1 provides access for haul trucks transporting clean coal from the Mine into the Loadout Facility from County Road 15. The road would be a minimum of 25 feet wide and would be approximately 0.58 mile long. Haul Road #1 would lead to a 0.25 mile loop road (Haul Road #2) varying in width between 12 and 20 feet that would provide access to the Loadout Facility. Earthen berms would be constructed along the haul roads to direct drainage to collection ditches. Haul roads would be constructed with gravel and would be watered and cleaned as necessary to control fugitive dust emissions. Chemical dust suppression may also be used on heavily traveled roads. Railroad Spur /Loadout. The rail spur would be constructed south of the Union Pacific mainline and would be approximately 11,300 feet long (16.62 acres of surface disturbance) to accommodate unit trains with 100 to 110 coal rail cars. The rail spur would take off from the mainline and traverse the land in generally an easterly direction, crossing Reed Wash. A rail bridge would be constructed within the 100 -year floodplain of the Colorado River and across Reed Wash. Seven rows of steel pilings would be required to support the bridge, of which two steel pilings would be embedded in concrete bridge abutments at each end. The bridge has been designed to ensure no pilings would be placed directly in the Reed Wash channel. Rip - rap would be placed on the east bank of Reed Wash extending from the ordinary high water mark (OHWM) to the concrete abutment supporting the bridge on the east side. The rip -rap and grading on the east side of the channel would increase the water conveyance area under the bridge during a 100 -year flood event. On the east side of Reed Wash, a loop would be constructed that would serve as the loading point for the coal. Best management practices (BMPs) would be used to control erosion from the rail spur including 1) exposed surface areas would be stabilized to promote a reduction in the rate and volume of runoff; 2) sediment filters such as a silt fence would be placed every 200 to 300 feet along the toe of the slope on the exterior portions of the loop to reduce overland flow velocity, reduce runoff volume, and trap sediment; 3) the outslopes of the rail spur would be seeded and 10 Section 2.04.11 in the Fruita Loadout Permit Application revision dated August 19, 2011 11