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Chapter IV <br />volume would be between 76 and 92 feet high. To compact and fill this volume to 90 <br />percent of the original mass would result in a subsidence choke at heights between 760 <br />and 920 feet. This height is much less than the average depth of cover, hence surface <br />subsidence will not occur. (See Appendix IV -F -3 for further discussion on the <br />subsidence bulking factor). <br />There are no indications of surface subsidence in Coal Basin even though there were <br />extensive mining operations for several years around the turn of the century and <br />continuously on a much larger scale since 1956. An on -site inspection of the most <br />likely area where subsidence could occur, above Nos. 1 and 2 mines, was conducted <br />on September 12, 1980 by two representatives of Willard Owens Associates, Inc., Mr. <br />John G. Roscoe, Mining Engineer; Ms. Nancy B. Lamm, Project Geologist; and <br />Mr.Douglas Bowman, Environmental Coordinator for Mid - Continent Resources, Inc. <br />They could find no evidence that the land area above these two mines had been <br />affected by subsidence (See Willard Owens Subsidence Inspection Report at Appendix <br />IV -F -1). <br />Based on four years of monitoring data, Dr. Collins' study reads as follows: <br />— Subsidence of the land surface over mined -out areas of <br />theCoal Basin mines has been detected by the <br />subsidence monitoring program initiated by MCR in <br />1981. Maximum subsidence detected to date is 2.10 <br />feet, at a point now apparently stable (MC -4). This <br />amount of subsidence resulted from the extraction of at <br />least 8 feet of coal, and possibly as much as 16 feet <br />(see discussion in paragraph 3 above). There are no <br />visible surface effects of subsidence, such as cracks, <br />hummocked profiles or subsidence induced slumps or <br />landslides in the large portion of the area inspected for <br />such features. There has been no subsidence damage <br />to the few structures, primarily mine ventilation fans, or <br />to power lines or light -use roads located over mined -out <br />areas. There are no known aquifers above the coal <br />beds being mined in the area, and renewable resource <br />lands are restricted to small livestock and wildlife <br />summer grazing areas. Neither MCR, White River <br />National Forest (letter of 10/14/80) nor Gunnison <br />National Forest (letter of 9/1/80) plan any change of use <br />of the renewable resource lands, or any structures. <br />Therefore it is determined that subsidence that has <br />occurred has not resulted in material damage to or <br />diminution of reasonably foreseeable use of structures <br />or renewable resource lands. <br />— The very nature of the renewable resources identified <br />with the land above and within the areas of possible <br />33 <br />