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PERMIT #: M -1977 -215 <br />INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: RCO <br />INSPECTION DATE: February 24, 2014 <br />OBSERVATIONS <br />This was a routine inspection conducted by the Division as part of its monitoring of 112 DMO permits. Other <br />reasons for the inspection were for verifying onsite conditions related to the pending decision by the Division <br />on the operator's request for temporary cessation (TC), and to check specific features to be addressed in the <br />environmental protection plan (EPP), such as stormwater management and hydrologic monitoring. The <br />operator named on page one was present throughout the inspection. Also present was Bruce Norquist, who <br />will be assisting in the preparation of the EPP. There were no surface or underground activities occurring on <br />the day of the inspection, though several staff were working in the administration building and core building at <br />the 9360 complex. There was a partial covering of old snow on the site, up to 6 inches deep. <br />The required permit ID sign was observed posted at the entrance gate to the permitted area. Permit <br />boundary markers were observed along the affected area boundaries of the permit. The 9360 and 9400 areas <br />were inspected. <br />The retaining wall south of the administration building and core building is fully installed. It separates the <br />level working surface and parking area adjacent to the buildings from the sloped area below the wall. <br />Regrading and seeding of the slope after retaining wall installation has helped to stabilize this area and <br />reduced its erosion potential. There is a line of straw wattles staked below the regraded area. There is also a <br />constructed parking area drainage location, directing drainage through a gap in the wall. The structure <br />includes rock armoring and a geotextile -lined outlet apron. This should be monitored by the operator to <br />ensure that discharge from this structure does not result in gullying of the hill slope below. <br />Drainage from the northern portion of the 9360 level area is directed toward the north, and enters the gulch <br />near the upper end of the concrete cutoff wall and monitoring wells. The pad surface includes a slight swale <br />which keeps surface water away from the crest (which is also rock bermed). The pad is built up from historic <br />waste rock and capped (for reclamation) with suitable growth medium and revegetated. The permeable <br />waste rock generally allows complete percolation of surface water, with little to no surface runoff at the <br />northerly and of the pad. The dewater holding pond near the center of the 9360 pad is surrounded by a raised <br />berm with rock - armored outlet, and contains a complete impermeable liner. This pond does not release <br />water to the surface drainage from the 9360 pad, and surface drainage of the 9360 pad does not enter the <br />pond. There was only a little precipitation water in the pond. <br />The area below the 9400 waste rock pad has been stripped of topsoil and has been partially filled with waste <br />rock for permanent disposal. The stripped topsoil is windrowed a sufficient distance away from the present <br />toe of the waste rock, leaving adequate room for placement of additional waste rock resulting from further <br />underground development. It may be possible that some impoundment of water may occur in the stripped <br />area below the waste rock, due to the windrowed topsoil acting as a dam. Though this may be unlikely, the <br />operator should examine this potential and mitigate it as needed in the stormwater management portion of <br />the EPP. Sediment control along the lower edges of the topsoil berm and other disturbed areas on the 9360 <br />pad consists of straw wattles staked in place. One of the sides of the topsoil berm, near one of the lower <br />edges, does not contain such sediment control, and it should be installed there as well. The operator will do <br />this when the snow clears, and this is not a problem at this time. <br />The 9400 waste rock dump appears stable, with minimal sloughing, no slope gullying and no tension cracks on <br />Page 2 of 5 <br />