_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1981017 (310)

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April 9, 2001 MEMO TO: David Berry FROM: Steve Renner RE: Office of Surface Mining Civil Penalty Grant The Division of Minerals and Geology is responsible for accomplishing reclamation at the Coal Basin Mine. The operating permit has been forfeited and the reclamation bond was revoked. The majority of the forfeited bond was expended to accomplish reclamation of the site. Reclamation is substantially completed, however, additional funds, in the form of Office of Surface Mining Civil Penalty Grant monies, are being sought in order to accomplish some remaining work. Completion of the remaining work is essential in order to minimize offsite impacts from this highly disturbed site. One of the major reclamation components undertaken at Coal Basin was stabilization of the Mine Bench Outslopes. These seven angle of repose slopes consist of unconsolidated coal and overburden materials which were pushed over the existing mountainsides during development and operation of the mines. These slopes experience significant rates of erosion due to the nature of the overcast material, the extremely steep slopes upon which the material rests and the high amount of annual average precipitation. The resultant mining related sediment reports to Coal and Dutch Creeks, the primary drainages within Coal Basin, and ultimately to the Crystal River at Redstone, Colorado. The Division has successfully demonstrated a method of stabilizing the Mine Bench Outslopes using innovative revegetation techniques. The Division has attempted to revegetate all seven of the slopes using these techniques. Two of the slopes require no further work, while a third slope may not require additional work. Unfortunately, it appears that the revegetation work was less than successful at four of the slopes. We believe that the lack of vegetative success at these four slopes is directly attributable to the unseasonably hot and dry climatic conditions western Colorado experienced in the fall of 1999 and the summer of 2000, immediately following the revegetation effort. Another attempt at controlling erosion at these four slopes must be undertaken in 2002 in order to minimize sediment contribution to adjacent water resources.