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Inspection Topic Summary <br />NOTE: Y= Inspected N =Not Inspected R= Comments Noted V= Violation Issued NA Not Applicable <br />N - Air Resource Protection <br />N - Availability of Records <br />N - Backfill & Grading <br />N - Excess Spoil and Dev. Waste <br />N - Explosives <br />N - Fish & Wildlife <br />R - Hydrologic Balance <br />R - Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan <br />R - Other <br />R - Processing Waste <br />R - Roads <br />N - Reclamation Success <br />N - Revegetation <br />N - Subsidence <br />R - Slides and Other Damage <br />N - Support Facilities On -site <br />N - Signs and Markers <br />N - Support Facilities Not On -site <br />N - Special Categories Of Mining <br />N - Topsoil <br />COMNIENTS <br />This was a partial inspection of the West Elk Mine conducted by Jim Stark of the Colorado Division of <br />Reclamation, Mining and Safety. Tabitha Lynch, aslo representing the Division and Kathy Welt and Jessica <br />Loveland, representing Mountain Coal, LLC, also accompanied me on the inspection. The mine was actively <br />producing and shipping coal. The mine was not running the wash plant or hauling refuse to the RPEE. West Elk <br />Mine just started an 18 -day shutdown for F -Seam rehabilitation work (where the beltline comes through). The <br />weater was cold and partly cloudy and the ground was partially covered with snow. <br />HYDROLOGIC BALANCE - Rule 4.05: Drainage Control 4.05.1, 4.05.2, 4.05.3; Siltation Structures 4.05.5, <br />4.05.6; Discharge Structures 4.05.7, 4.05.10; Diversions 4.05.4; Effluent Limits 4.05.2; Ground Water <br />Monitoring 4.05.13; Surface Water Monitoring 4.05.13; Drainage — Acid and Toxic Materials 4.05.8; <br />Impoundments 4.05.6, 4.05.9; Stream Buffer Zones 4.05.18: <br />- Pond SG -I contained a small pool of water, which was frozen and not discharging. The pond embankment was <br />covered with snow but appeared to be stable, with no erosional problems noted. The emergency spillway <br />appeared to be stable. <br />- The east cell of the RPE pond was full but not discharging at the time of the inspection. There was a small <br />amount of water in the west cell of the pond and it was not discharging. The pond embankment was stable and no <br />erosional problems were noted. <br />- Pond MB -5E contained water in both cells at a level approximately eight feet below the emergency spillway and <br />was not discharging at the time of the inspection. The pond embankment had patches of snow but was appeared to <br />be well vegetated and stable. There were no erosional problems noted on the pond embankment. The emergency <br />spillway is a riprap - lined, open channel. It was stable and no problems were noted. <br />- Pond MB -3 contained water at a level of approximately two feet below the discharge pipe and was not <br />discharging at the time of the inspection. The pond was stable and no erosional problems were noted. <br />- Ponds FW -I and FW -2 both contained water below their maximum levels. The water in FW -1 was <br />approximately eight feet below the top and FW -2 was approximately four feet below the top. The ponds are lined <br />ponds. The pond embankments were well vegetated and stable and no erosional problems were noted. <br />- The ditches around the RPE and the ditch on the east side of the RPE were all clean at the time of the inspection. <br />There were no erosional problems noted in any of these ditches. <br />- The lower portion of the RPEE ditch, which flows into the east cell of the RPE pond, was clean and stable at the <br />time of the inspection. There was evidence that the two drains from the HR -I slide (the crusher fines and French <br />drains) we discharging into the ditch. <br />- The roadside ditches along the Sylvester Gulch haul road were all covered with snow. There was no water <br />flowing out of these ditches onto the road. The snow acts as an insulator and allows the water to flow in the <br />