2012-10-10_REVISION - C1981013

• Permit No: C1981013
• IBM Index Class Name: Revision
• Doc Date: 10/10/2012
• Doc Name: Preliminary Adequacy Concerns
• From: DRMS
• To: New Elk Coal Company, LLC
• Type & Sequence: TR57
• Email Name: JHB
• Email Name: DIH
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

STATE OF COLORADO
DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING AND SAFETY
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman St., Room 215
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
October 10, 2012
Mr. Ron Thompson
Mine Manager
New Elk Coal Company LLC
12250 State Highway 12
Weston, CO 81091
Re: Golden Eagle Mine, C1981 -013, TR -57 Preliminary Adequacy Concerns
Dear Mr. Thompson:
COLORADO
ID IV I S I O N O F
RECLAMATION
MINING
SAFETY
John W. Hickenlooper
Governor
Mike King
Executive Director
Loretta E. Pineda
Director
The Division has reviewed New Elk Coal Company's (NECC) technical revision No. 57 (TR57) application
for the Golden Eagle Mine. TR57 provides NECC's responses to the Division's Mid -term review, dated April
23, 2012. The Division identified six items of concern in the Midterm No. 6 (MT6). NECC has appropriately
responded to four of the six concerns. The Division's comments follow:
1. The Division requested that NECC provide updates to surface and mineral ownership information:
NECC provided updates to permit section 2.03.4, pages 3 through 10, and updates to Map 1 and Map
2. This information adequately addresses the Division's concerns.
2. The Division asked that NECC update the water monitoring plan and discussion to reflect that
groundwater monitoring wells NM -20, NM -21, NM -22, NM -23, and SF -2 have been transferred to the
New Elk Mine permit (C1981 -012) upon approval of PR -02, and provide information regarding the
status of well LA -218.
NECC updated pages 2.05 -47c and 47f to refelect that the responsibility of maintaining, sealing, and
reclaiming the noted wells have been transferred to the New Elk Permit. On May 29, 2012, NECC
provided a well abandonment report for well LA -218. This response adequately addresses the
Division's concerns.
3. The Division had concerns regarding the small quadrat size proposed for reclamation success
vegetation production sampling.
NECC revised permit page 2.05 -23 to increase the size of the production quadrat from 0.1 M` to 0.5
M`. NECC will collect 6 production quadrats along each cover transect.
This response is acceptable to the Division.
4. The Division had expressed concern that the approved vegetation sampling methodologies had been
developed when the mine had a larger area of disturbance (pre -SL6). Experience has shown that small
areas frequently require a different approach to sampling than large areas. The Division asked NECC
to review the approved reclamation dsampling methods for applicability for small area sampling.
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Mined Land Reclamation Denver • Grand Junction • Durango Active and Inactive Mines