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PERMIT #: M- 1980 -014 <br />INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: MAC <br />INSPECTION DATE: January 15, 2015 <br />OBSERVATIONS <br />The inspection was conducted by Michael Cunningham of the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety <br />(Division). Tammie Crawford, Jim Cherrington and Jerry Wicks of Park County were also present for the <br />inspection. The Eleven Mile Pit is located approximately 13 miles east - southeast of Harstel, and about 1/2 mile <br />west of the inlet to Eleven Mile Reservoir. The commodity of interest is sand and gravel. The site is permitted <br />for 59.6 acres and the post- mining land use is rangeland. The ground was covered with several inches of snow <br />at the time of the inspection. <br />The site was not active during the inspection and no equipment was present. The Annual Report submitted to <br />the Division on May 13, 2014 indicated the Eleven Mile Pit has been inactive since 2005. Pursuant to <br />Construction Materials Rule 1.13.5, if the Operator plans to, or does, temporarily cease production of the <br />mining operation for one hundred eighty (180) days or more, the Operator must file a Notice of Temporary <br />Cessation. Temporary cessation is a permit status that allows Operators to cease production without <br />commencing with reclamation of the site. A mine is considered to be active when mining operations are being <br />conducted or when material is removed from stockpiles. According to the Operator, material is periodically <br />brought in to the Eleven Mile Pit from the Chaparral Pit (M- 1995 -021) where it stockpiled for hauling. The <br />Operator is currently assessing the product reserves in all of their permitted sites and will make a <br />determination as to whether or not the Eleven Mile Pit will be active in 2015. The failure to place the Eleven <br />Mile Pit into temporary cessation has been cited as a problem; please see the first page of this report for <br />additional detail. <br />The Division observed several stockpiles around the perimeter of the pit. The Operator is authorized to crush <br />and screen the mined gravel; however, there is no crushing or screening equipment present at the site. As a <br />condition of Conversion No. 1, which was approved on March 26, 2006, the Division authorized the <br />importation of topsoil to the site. It was determined during the review of the Conversion Application that <br />there was an insufficient amount of topsoil available to adequately reclaim the site to rangeland. The Operator <br />committed to importing topsoil to the site as it became available from road projects in Park County. To date, <br />the Operator has not imported any topsoil. This is not considered a problem at this point; however, the <br />Division encouraged the Operator to start importing topsoil so that it is available at the end of the life of the <br />mine. <br />During the inspection the Division verified the permit sign was posted at the site entrance and that the <br />boundary of the affected area was clearly delineated. <br />This concluded the inspection. <br />Page 2 of 4 <br />