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David C. Shelton, Director, August 26, 1985 <br /> Colo. Mined Land Reclamation Division Page 2 <br /> MID-CONTINENT OPERATING CONDITIONS <br /> The Coal Basin mining operations have been continuous <br /> since 1957 . The majority of the facilities, including the mine <br /> portals, the mine access and haul roads, were constructed and <br /> became operational prior to the MLRB regulations which were not <br /> promulgated until 1980 . <br /> Topographically, Coal Basin is unusually steep and <br /> mountainous terrain. Steep slope mining exception has been <br /> requested and approved. An unusually large surface area is <br /> involved, particularly when compared to more typical single- <br /> portal underground mining operations. Mid-Continent operated <br /> five mines , it involves a permit area in excess of 7,000 acres. <br /> It encompasses in excess of 400 acres of disturbed area and in <br /> excess of 13 miles of access and coal haulage roads . In the <br /> permitting processes, 35 sediment ponds and several miles of <br /> ditches and berms have been constructed. <br /> Coal Basin is a high, alpine basin which ranges from 8 ,000 <br /> to 11,500 feet in elevation . The locale and conditions are com- <br /> parable to most ski areas in the State of Colorado. For the past <br /> four winter seasons, Coal Basin has averaged 208-inches of snow- <br /> fall at an 8 ,000 foot elevation, and an average of 27 .57 inches <br /> of precipitation (rainfall) per year . <br /> VIOLATIONS AND ABATEMENT <br /> All violations which are the subject matter of the two <br /> alleged patterns of violations have been abated in a timely <br /> manner , by September 19, 1984 . Based upon the actual experi- <br /> ences of 1983 and 1984, a number of the existing facilities have <br /> been reengineered and upgraded, and a number of new facilities <br /> have been designed and constructed. We believe this system up- <br /> grading has been successful because no occurrences , similar to <br /> those in 1983 and 1984, were experienced in 1985 . <br /> All civil penalties assessed from September , 1983 to <br /> November , 1984 , originally $53,875 and reduced at conference to <br /> $33,650 , have been paid. <br /> The majority of the violations involved in the alleged <br /> pattern of violation were the result of extraordinary climato- <br /> logical events . <br />