2013-10-09_INSPECTION - M1974092

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PERMIT #: M -1974 -092 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: MAC INSPECTION DATE: October 3, 2013 OBSERVATIONS The inspection was conducted by Michael Cunningham of the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (Division). Doug Dowling of Dorn Ready Mix Corp. was also present for the inspection. The Barlow Pit is located in Morgan County, approximately 3 miles east of Fort Morgan, Colorado. The site is permitted for 40 acres and the post- mining land use is wildlife habitat. The Barlow Pit operates under a 112 Construction Materials Reclamation Permit. The commodity of interest is sand and gravel which is mined using a floating suction dredge. The Operator notified the Division on September 30, 2013 (via telephone) that the Barlow Pit had been impacted by flooding of the South Platte River. According to Mr. Dowling, the flood water had breached the eastern pit wall. The purpose of the inspection was to assess flooding impacts and provide recommendations for making repairs at the Barlow Pit. The flooding of the South Platte River, in the vicinity of the pit, occurred from approximately September 14th - 16th; during which time the flood waters inundated the entire mine site. The flood waters washed out portions of the access road, which enters the site from Barlow Rd. on the west end. The Operator has repaired the access road with material from the mine site. There is a visual berm on the south side of the gravel pit that is approximately 8 -10 feet high. During the flood, water flowed around the berm; the berm appeared to be intact and was largely unaffected by the flood. As the flood waters flowed over the pit, the east bank of the pit was breached. A section of land approximately 75 ft x 25 ft was washed away at the east end of the pit. At the time of the inspection, the Division observed water flowing out of the pit and through the breach. The water was being discharged into a seep ditch that runs along the south and east sides of the pit. The water flowing from the pit was groundwater; no surface inflow into the pit was observed. The Division estimates that approximately 500 cubic yards of fill material would be required to repair the breach. The Division and the Operator discussed the possibility of not repairing the breach and allowing groundwater to flow from the site into the adjacent seep ditch. In order to leave the site in its current condition, the Operator would need to revise or obtain permits from the following agencies: 1. A technical revision to the Mining and Reclamation Plan would need to be filed with the Division. 2. The Augmentation Plan would need to be revised with the Office of the State Engineer to account for the depletions associated with the water flowing from the site. 3. A discharge permit would need to be obtained from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The Division recommends that the Operator repair the breach and return the site back to pre -flood conditions; repairing the breach would not require any additional permitting by the Operator. The Division requests that the Operator provide notification within 10 working days (from the date of this report) of how, or if, the breach will be repaired. Following the repair of the breach, the Operator shall provide the Division with photographic documentation which demonstrates that groundwater is no longer being discharged from the site. Page 2 of 5