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May 20, 2014 C- 1980- 007/West Elk Mine JRS <br />to be cleaned. Kathy Welt later emailed the Division to say that the culvert had been cleaned. Water flows out of <br />this ditch into the native drainage, which runs under Colorado Highway 133 and, ultimately, into the North fork of <br />the Gunnison River. The ditch was stable and there were no erosional problems noted at the time of the <br />inspection. <br />- The portion of the sediment control ditch that runs on the west side of the lower lifts of the RPEE was stable at <br />the time of the inspection. This ditch is a riprapped ditch that follows the grade of the RPEE benches, which is <br />approximately 33 %. There was a small amount of erosion on the east side of this ditch in the refuse that will need <br />to be repaired. Kathy indicated that this will be repaired when the slopes are prepared for reclamation this fall. <br />- The riprapped ditch at the bottom of the first lift of the RPEE (at the base of this lift in the colluvial fill) had a <br />measured grade of 1 -2 %. The ditch was stable and no erosional problems were noted. There was some sediment <br />in the outlet side of the ditch that will need to be cleaned out when conditions on the ground permit. This ditch <br />runs from east to west and discharges into a large (36 -inch) black pipe that carries the water along the west side of <br />the rock buttress. The pipe discharges into the lower portion of the sediment ditch. <br />- The lower portion of the sediment control ditch is also a riprapped ditch. The ditch, as with the freshwater ditch, <br />follows the natural grade of the drainage, which ranges from 5 -18 %. At basically the end of the natural drainage <br />(where the freshwater ditch empties into the native drainage) this ditch makes a 90 degree turn to the west. The <br />ditch, at this point, becomes a half - culvert for several hundred feet. This culvert was installed to keep water and <br />the weight of the riprap off of the slope, which is adjacent to the HR -1 slide area. The culvert itself is in good <br />condition but there is some side and undercutting of the culvert. West Elk will need to continue to monitor this <br />ditch area and will need to repair it as necessary. Following the culvert there is another portion of riprapped ditch. <br />This ditch was well maintained and stable and no erosional problems were noted. West Elk is planning on <br />replacing another approximately 200 feet of this culvert with an open, riprapped channel. This sediment ditch <br />ultimately flows into the RPE pond. Overall the RPEE sediment ditch was stable and well maintained. The ditch <br />was clean and, besides the issues noted at the half - culvert above, no maintenance issues were noted. <br />- The riprapped ditch for the RPE, on the east side of the pile, was stable and well maintained (this ditch was <br />reconstructed last year and has stabilized well). This ditch follows the grade of the RPE, which was measured at <br />approximately 37 %. There were no erosional problems noted in the ditch at the time of the inspection. This ditch <br />flows into the RPE pond. <br />- The ditch along the west and north of the RPE (along the bottom of the pile) was stable and well maintained. <br />There were no erosional problems noted in the ditch at the time of the inspection. <br />- The ditch around the bottom of the LRP is a concrete ditch. The ditch was well maintained and stable, with no <br />erosional problems noted in or around the ditch. The ditch contained a small amount of sediment on the north <br />edge that will need to be cleaned. <br />PROCESSING WASTE /COAL MINE WASTE PILES — Rule 4.10 and 4.11 Drainage Control; Surface <br />Stabilization; Placement: <br />- The RPEE was not actively being worked at the time of the inspection but there were a few small piles of <br />unspread, uncompacted refuse on the surface of the pile. West Elk is currently working on the fourth lift of the <br />pile. The pile has positive drainage, with any flow going into a lateral ditch. There was no water pooling on the <br />surface of the pile. The underdrain has been extended up the drainage approximately 50 feet. All of this newly <br />constructed portion of the underdrain, with the exception of approximately the last ten feet, has been covered with <br />a thin layer of refuse to keep the filter fabric in place. The remaining ten feet had a few large rocks on top to keep <br />Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 10 <br />Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 3 <br />Page 3 of 19 <br />