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RELOCATION FOR MWNW-2: <br />The 1st North Mine Section where the existing MW -NW monitor <br />well is located is in a section of the mine having very poor roof conditions. During mining operations in <br />the 1st North Section, there were so many roof falls that it was deemed too unsafe to pillar and cave <br />(retreat mining phase) the 1st North Section. The lack of pillaring and documented roof falls in the 1st <br />North Section are depicted on the Southfield Mine Final Closure Map. A solid coal barrier separates the <br />1st North Section and the 1-1/2 North Section of the mine. During mining operations, the mine roof <br />conditions were more stable in the 1-1/2 North Section. The retreat mining phase was executed and 1-1/2 <br />North Section was pillared /caved. The proposed location for drilling MWNW-2 is in the 1-1/2 North <br />Section due to the greater stability of the strata experienced in that mine section. It is believed that while <br />drilling into the mine workings, there would be less caving of the borehole as compared to drilling into <br />the unstable strata in the 1st North Section. It is understood that there will be a rubble zone in 1-1/2 North <br />due to the pillaring operation but it is believed that the strata above the rubble zone is more preferable for <br />drilling than in the 1st North Section. The drilling technique for penetrating the rubble zone is explained in <br />TR -46 wherein a drill bit is welded onto the end of the well casing prior to installation, the well casing is <br />then rotated during the insertion of the well casing through the rubble zone and the casing (with drill bit <br />attached and perforations in the wall of the casing) is left permanently in place resting on the floor of the <br />Southfield mine workings. <br />Additional reasons for selecting the proposed location include minimal additional surface <br />disturbance, and the elevation of the target Red Arrow seam is approximately the same as MW -NW. <br />Given the aforementioned unstable roof conditions in 1st North, the only choice is to attempt to drill into a <br />pillared area of the mine in the close proximity to MW -NW since all these areas were pillared. <br />Further, it is believed that because the existing well casing in MW -NW in 1st North failed due to <br />ground pressures and/or possible roof falls, the more stable strata in 1-1/2 North offers a better chance of <br />the well casing in MWNW-2 to remain in a stable condition. <br />Again, to continue the festering issue concerning the bottom 5% of vertical length of the existing <br />MW -NW well is unwarranted considering the safety risks involved and the unreasonable cost to obtain a <br />meager amount of information of water quantity and quality, particularly when coal mine water is <br />predicted to be of degraded quality anyway. <br />Detail of the drilling procedure and the related cost estimate was included in the TR -46 submittal, <br />however, for ease of review, copies of the proposed drilling cost/procedure are attached hereto. <br />George V Patterson <br />Mine Manager <br />Energy Fuels Coal, Inc. <br />