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., <br />DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman St., Room 215 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />Phone: (303) 866 -3567 <br />FAX (303) 832 -8106 <br />DATE: <br />TO: <br />FROM: <br />RE: <br />June 28, 1993 <br />Steve Renner <br />Jim Pendleton <br />Dutch Creek Incision <br />STATE OF COLORADO <br />Old Coal Re e - Mid - Continent Resources, <br />Coal Basin Mine (Permit #C -81 -017) <br />Roy Romer <br />Governor <br />In response to your request, I accompanied Tony Waldron on an <br />examination of the old coal refuse pile at the Coal Basin Mines on <br />Tuesday, June 22, 1993. We examined two specific areas; the <br />incised portion of Dutch Creek at the toe of the terrace slope <br />above which the refuse pile is founded, and the seep area at the <br />northwest end of the refuse pile. Neither appears to represent an <br />immediate threat to the stability of the structure, but both should <br />receive expeditious treatment to avoid the development of a more <br />critical problem. <br />The old refuse pile is founded on an erosional terrace situated <br />approximately 80 to 100 feet above the modern valley floor of Dutch <br />Creek. Adjacent to the upper, northwestern end of the old coal <br />refuse pile, Dutch Creek is actively incising the Mancos Shale <br />slope which forms the bedrock slope of the terrace. The incision <br />wound is approximately 200 feet in length and has migrated upslope <br />to the terrace surface approximately 80 feet above the channel. <br />The crest of the slope appears to have receded approximately 10 <br />feet in the past decade. It has approached to within 25 feet of <br />the toe of the coal refuse pile. The Shale and colluvial material <br />is well consolidated and stands at approximately 80 degrees from <br />horizontal. I could not discern any evidence of mechanical failure <br />in the pile or its foundational slope. <br />Coal Basin is a nationally- renowned location for the occurrence of <br />debris flows. High precipitation spring and early summer events <br />cause the liquefaction of spring melt saturated, poorly- sorted <br />colluvial deposits. The Mid - Continent Resources bath house was <br />Michael B Long <br />Division Director <br />