Laserfiche WebLink
Sage Creek Independent Inspection <br />Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety (DRMS) Permit ID # C- 2009 -087 <br />Tuesday, October 18, 2011 <br />Operator: Sage Creek Coal Company (SCCC) <br />Participants: <br />Scott Cowman, SCCC <br />Zach Trujillo, DRMS <br />Jason Musick, DRMS <br />Flynn Dickinson, OSM <br />Elizabeth Shaeffer, OSM, Badge # 377 <br />Weather conditions: 67 degrees, partly cloudy, dry ground conditions <br />This was an OSM independent inspection of the Sage Creek Mine conducted by Elizabeth <br />Shaeffer of OSM's Denver Field Division. Scott Cowman (representing SCCC), Jason Musick <br />(DRMS), Zach Trujillo (DRMS), and Flynn Dickinson (OSM) joined me for the inspection. <br />Field Evaluation: <br />We began our inspection by driving Haul Road A which serves as a good vantage point for the <br />development of the portal area (see Figure 1). SCC is currently drilling and excavating in the <br />portal area. Next, they will build tunnels to support the construction of the underground roof. <br />There will be four total portals (ventilation, power, conveyor belt, and human entry) (see Figure <br />2 ). The ten -foot thick Wadge Coal Seam will be mined. A mine belt will carry underground <br />coal to the coal stockpile, which is currently located at the south end of the site. This stockpile <br />has already received coal from the portal excavation. There is discussion of the possible <br />construction of an eight mile overland conveyor belt that would move the coal from the Sage <br />Creek Mine to the Foidel Creek Mine for washing/processing. <br />Below us we could see sedimentation Pond 002 (Wadge Pond). The primary NPDES discharge <br />point is located at the north end of the pond. <br />We observed the topsoil stockpile located southwest of the PECOCO Pond (see Figure 3). This <br />topsoil stockpile had not yet been constructed at the time of OSM's May 23, 2011 inspection. <br />We observed the upper sump and its SC 19 outlet culvert that eventually discharges into Pond <br />002(see Figures 4 and 5). The system was functioning as designed. <br />At the time of inspection, work was being done on the embankment of the lower sump that leads <br />to Pond 002. <br />Please contact Elizabeth Shaeffer, Environmental Protection Specialist, at (303) 293 -5025 or <br />eshaeffer@osmre.gov if you have any questions or comments regarding this inspection report. <br />