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- -- ~IIII~II~II~II~~II~ <br />- - sss <br />United States Department of the Interior <br />OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING <br />Rcdamssion and Fs(orccmrn[ <br />1779 Broadvn7. Suirc 3320 <br />Dcnvcr, Colorado 80202-5733 <br /> <br />RECEIVED <br />AUG - I Ig95 AUG 0 4 1995 <br />Mrs. Ann Tatum <br />Jim Tatum & Associates <br />8703 Bonhomme <br />Houston, Texas 77074 <br />Dear Ms. Tatum: <br />otviston of mmelais a tieoiogy <br />I am writing in response to your July 13 and July 18, 1995 letters asking the Office of <br />Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) to conduct additional analysis and <br />raising conceins about information in previous correspondence. <br />I.et me respond fast to your concerns regarding my June 21, 1995 letter to Senator Gramm: <br />- The matter of alleged subsidence to your home was investigated by three OSM <br />personnel trained and experienced in mine-related environmental issues, one of whom <br />you specifically requested by name. He and the other two investigators found no <br />mine-related damage to your home. The three reports prepared by these specialists <br />have been sent to your office. <br />- The June 21 letter to Senator Gramm stated that the mine area was located 300-500 <br />feet from your house, rather than 500 feet, as you contend. <br />Your ]etter of July 13, 1995 referenced movement recorded along the railroad tracks. <br />Several years ago when full extraction was contemplated in the first north panel, the <br />Colorado Division of Nsnerals and Geelegy (DMG) required subsidence monitoring points to <br />be established. These monitoring points were set in the proximity of the railroad tracks <br />south of your home. Two of these points were located directly over the proposed mined-out <br />area (TN-1 and IN-2). The third point was located 400 feet east of the proposed mined-out <br />area (point B). The points were set by starting at a known elevation approximately 6640 feet <br />from the first north panel. Transit survey points were read about every 400 feet. A survey <br />was again conducted on April 21, 1995 to record the elevation of the monitoring points. The <br />survey techniques were the same as those used in the original May 26, 1988 survey but <br />indicated that point B was higher by 1.26 inches, point [N-1 higher by 1.86 inches and point <br />IN-2 lower by ].032 inches. <br />The subsidence monitoring section of the approved permit allows a "no change in elevation" <br />finding to be made when there is less than ± 0.25 feet (3.0 inches) elevation difference in <br />the survey. According to the permit this is the inherent survey error. Also, according to the <br />permit, "after five years with no change in the survey coordinates (± .25 feet), these surveys <br />