Dismantling crews at the site of the Willow Creek mine remove a conveyor belt assembly from the hopper. The hopper will be systematically dismantled by Pacific Central, a local steel fabrication and erection contractor. The parts will be shipped to Pennsylvania, where the hopper will be reassembled for use by Emerald Coal Corporation. The conveyor belt, which was removed Tuesday, weighed more than 75 tons and measured more than 200 feet long. The high end was roughly 90 feet above the ground, the low end was around 50 feet high. Two cranes were used to remove the conveyor belt assembly. The large, yellow crane has a capacity of more than 550 tons. The smaller, white crane can hoist up to 210 tons. In addition to dealing with the factors of size and weight, dismantling crews had to account for other factors, including power lines and the Price River, both of which crossed below the conveyor belt. The round conveyor belt assembly will be cut into sections before being transported to Pennsylvania. The job is scheduled to be completed at the Willow Creek mine site by October.
Crews systematically dismantling hopper at Willow Creek mine reclamation site
