2001-01-29_INSPECTION - M1977493

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MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID #: M- 1977 -493 PAGE: 11 INSPECTION DATE: 9 -26 -00 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: ACS application and the Climax reclamation permit as a whole. On October 12, 2000, Climax provided DMG a sketch map delineating the Mayflower borrow area and illustrating the location of the permitted boundary of affected land as approved under amendment AM -03 to the Climax reclamation permit. Climax has determined that approximately 7.55 acres of the 14.70 acre borrow area is located outside the permitted area of affected land. The primary purpose of amendment AM -03 was to assure that all affected land at Climax was included in the area of affected land described in the reclamation permit, and to provide an operational buffer around various site facilities. The 7.55 acres of the Mayflower borrow source that were not included in the area of affected land by amendment AM -03, were apparently left out through a simple oversight. In order to correct this oversight, DMG recommends that Climax apply for a trade -off of affected land under the policy adopted by DMG on May 31, 1996. The procedure is described here: • Climax will include the 7.55 acres of the Mayflower borrow source currently located outside the affected land boundary into the area of affected land. Prior to the inclusion of this 7.55 acres, an area of undisturbed land at least equal in area will be deleted from the affected lands. • Climax will provide a request for acreage reduction of at least 7.55 acres. The request will be filed in accordance with Rule 4.13. The 7.55 acres to be deleted from the affected lands must not have been disturbed by the Climax mining operation. • Climax will provide an amendment application form and all amendment application exhibits necessary to allow for inclusion of the 7.55 acres in the Mayflower borrow area to be included in the affected lands. At a minimum, a map must be provided illustrating the boundaries of affected land subject to modification. • The usual amendment application fee will not be required at the time of submittal; the standard fee for a technical revision will be required. This fee is $875.00. Although the application will be processed initially under the technical revision fee, the decision dates and other timeframes will be those that apply to amendments. In order to avoid confusion, Climax must include a statement in the application that the permit amendment timelines will govern the processing of the exchange of affected lands. This will essentially be a waiver of the usual 30 day decision timeframe required for a technical revision. • Climax will provide for the public notice of the application to exchange affected lands in accordance with Rule 1.6. Owners of surface rights to the affected land and within 200 feet of the affected land, as discussed in Rule 1.6.2(1)(e), include holders of any recorded easements. • If the DMG receives a timely objection (Rule 1.7) to the application for affected land exchange, Climax will be required to provide the fee required for an amendment application, total fee requirement of $6,500.00. The application for affected land exchange will then be reviewed as a permit amendment. The Mayflower borrow area was inspected. The slope of the borrow source is in the range of 2.5:1 to 3:1. The revegetation effort employed in the borrow area was direct seeding of the slope exposed after topsoil and borrow soil excavation. The revegetation success is highly variable and appears to be primarily related to the nature of the material exposed at the surface. It was observed that the borrow pit exposed sulfide mineralization in some locations and that small scale historic mining had occurred in the borrow pit location. Additional grading and plant growth medium application may be necessary to establish a vegetative cover that will meet performance standards for reclamation responsibility release. For this reason, and