_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1981017 (236)

Home Browse Search

Ms . Candace Thompson January 24 , 1986 Page two Memorandum at Enclosure #2 . The White River National Forest officials indicate no problem with the 1< mile section of the road on their side of the ridge . The addition of this portion of the road system is required to provide a useable access road for drilling methane gas wells into the underground mine workings (initially into longwall panels 101 , 102 and 103) . Utilization of the existing 5 . 9 mile section of road on the Gunnison Forest side of the ridge that extends quite a distance down the slope and then back up to the base of Huntsman Peak is not possible without extensive rebuilding . That section of road was constructed about 25 years ago to accommodate small core drill rigs utilized for proving the coal reserves in the Federal coal leases in that area . The tight switchbacks on the unusually steep slopes simply cannot accommodate the gas well drilling equipment that must be moved to the drill site . Last summer we hired Intermountain Soils , Inc . to accomplish the vegetation and soils baseline data gathering for the proposed roadway area . They were only able to accomplish a portion of the field work before snow covered the ground at the 11 , 000 foot and higher elevations . Consequently, their data, and our reclamation plan based on it , cannot be completed until sometime this coming summer . The data and plan will be very similar to that collected and prepared for the road extension within the fee land which is adjacent to and within the same vegetation community type and geologic formation as this proposed section. A cultural resource survey of the proposed road right-of-way was conducted by Powers Elevation in September 1985 . The report indicates that no significant cultural resources will be affected . A copy of the report is enclosed and labeled Enclosure #3 . Complete design engineering of this proposed road section has not been completed upon the recommendation of the Gunnison National Forest . They require a level of detailed engineering that is quite costly and suggest that we not accomplish it until they have completed their Environmental Assessment and are sure that they can approve the specific road alignment we have selected . We have accomplished preliminary engineering work which we believe is adequate to gain concept approval from MLRD and OSM. A centerline survey was accomplished with stakes set and marked every 100 feet . Slope readings were also taken at critical locations along the centerline in order that both specific and typical cross-section drawings can be prepared . As depicted on the map labeled Enclosure #4 (in map jacket) the survey was conducted from the White River Forest side of the ridge to the intersection of the old drill road on the Gunnison Forest side .