Fremont County begins project to extinguish over 20-year-old burning coal pile
(FREMONT COUNTY, Colo.) — The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety (DRMS) announced Phase One of the Corley Mine Surface Burn Mitigation Project to extinguish a coal pile that has been burning for over two decades.
The project aims to address a 1.5-acre surface coal refuse pile that has been actively burning for over two decades due to spontaneous combustion. Construction is scheduled to begin Monday, May 19, and is expected to be completed by Thursday, Sept. 4. The pile measures approximately 35 feet tall, 150 feet wide, and 300 feet long, and is located south of Florence. The pile is the legacy of historical coal mining on site, which saw operations by 15 different mines between the 1920s and the 1990s.
The project is being funded through the federal funds established to reduce the impacts of coal mines and communities, and has an accepted bid amount of $853 million.
DRMS said they would oversee the mechanical excavation of an estimated 82,400 cubic yards of hot burning material, and each yard of burning coal will be quenched with water at a rate of give gallons per cubic yard. Once quenched, the water would be blended 1:1 from onsite waste piles, cooled, and then backfilled. Excavation and backfill activities will cover a total of 164,800 cubic yards over 9.5-acre site.
To reduce fire danger, 9.5 acres of vegetation will be cleared around the active area, and 20,000 gallons of water will be available onsite at all times during hot work.
The project will halt if there are sustained winds exceeding 25 miles per hour or if weather conditions present an immediate wildfire risk.
After excavation is done, Phase Two, 'Geomorphic Regrade and Revegetation,' will begin:
Cold material backfilled and contoured to match natural topography and minimize erosion
Native seed mix planted for site rehabilitation
Long-term stabilization of the site through natural landform design
The project is not expected to impact any public roads, trails, or recreational areas.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Bloomberg
India's Swelling Coal Stockpiles Test State-Owned Mining Giant
Follow Bloomberg India on WhatsApp for exclusive content and analysis on what billionaires, businesses and markets are doing. Sign up here. Recent rains may have provided the world's most populous nation some relief from scorching summer heat, but they shattered state-owned mining giant Coal India Ltd. 's hopes of denting record-high inventories.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Shift in the Jet Stream
After waves of severe storms and heavy rainfall this month, the Jet Stream is shifting after the latest rounds of storms moved out of our State last night. Going forward, at least for now, the Jet Stream is de-energized some. A 'weakness' in the flow, kind of an 'echo' of storms Monday and Tuesday of this week in Texas will move up over our State Wednesday and Thursday. There is a chance of rain and a few storms but rainfall totals will not be nearly as heavy. Mike June 9th, 2025 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Storm Team 3: More storms likely Tuesday, isolated severe storms possible
The Coastal Empire and Lowcountry will remain in an unsettled weather pattern for much of the new workweek. Scattered showers and storms are likely Tuesday with a chance that there may be a few strong to severe storms. Tuesday will begin with a few passing showers or storms after sunrise with coverage of rain increasing through the morning. Thunderstorms will become more widespread around noon and after. Rain and storm chances will remain elevated into the evening. Heavy rain at times will be an issue, especially during the afternoon commute. Some stronger storm cells may be able to drop a quick 1-2″ of rain. While most storms will not be severe, any of the strong or severe storms will be able to produce damaging wind gusts in excess of 60 mph and small hail. Afternoon highs will be in the upper 80s to lower 90s which will provide ample fuel to produce a few severe storms. Rain chances will gradually decrease through Tuesday evening with temperatures cooling into the low to mid 70s. Wednesday and into the weekend will feature more scattered rain and storms with afternoon highs reaching the upper 80s to lower 90s each day. While there will a low risk for a few severe storms each day, organized severe weather is not expected at this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
