_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1981017 (311)

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United States Forest White River P.O. Boa 948 Department of Service National Glenwood Springs, Agriculture Forest Colorado 81602 303 945-2521 RE C E I V E aeply to: 2520/2720 Date: January 25, 1991 JAN 3 1 199'. Mined Land Fred Banta Reclamation Division Dept. of Natural Resources Mined Land Reclamation Division 1313 Sherman Denver, CO 80302 Dear Mr. Banta: Activities surrounding the operation of the Mid-Continent Resources, Inc. mine in Coal Basin, near Redstone, Colorado, have come increasingly to the forefront in recent months. This is accentuated by the formation of the Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association (CVEPA) . This coalition is active in looking into ways to improve water quality discharging from Coal Creek into the Crystal River. They have contacted us concerning water quality issues in the Coal Creek area. Some 9.5 miles of road under permit from the Forest Service is utilized for the operation of the mine. We have reviewed these roads on-the-ground and have determined that they are a source of sedimentation into the tributaries which discharge into Coal Creek from mine operations. We have met with mine representatives and representatives from the State Department of Health and Mined Land Reclamation to determine what could be done to improve the road situation. We feel that there are actions that need to be taken to correct poor road drainage practices and design. Road standards need to be developed that meet Agency and Company needs. As a land management agency with responsibilities in the Coal Basin area, we would like to become more involved in your inspection process of the mine operations. We would like to be notified of dates when you will be inspecting the operation and would like to accompany your inspectors to the site when possible. Additionally, we would also like to be involved in the mid-term permit review process so that we could have the opportunity to improve environmental concerns contained in the document. We feel that there are some provisions for revegetation and reclamation of roads and portal sites on Federal land contained in the permit that are no longer valid assumptions and need to be revised at this mid-term review point.