2015-08-04_INSPECTION - M1993041

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PERMIT #: M-1993-041 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: MAC INSPECTION DATE: July 2, 2015 OBSERVATIONS The inspection was conducted by Michael Cunningham of the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (Division). Wayne Stoughton was present on behalf of CEMEX and Robin Bay was present on behalf of Habitat Management. The site is located approximately 2 miles east of Lyons, Colorado. The site is permitted for 1,854.45 acres, of which 464.9 acres are designated as affected area. Only 105 acres may be disturbed by mining at any given time, this does not include other areas of disturbance such as the crusher area, stockpiles, offices, maintenance shop, conveyor, or the fuel station. The approved post mining land use is rangeland. Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan: The site was in operation at the time of the inspection. The Operator mines Limestone from a series of four ridges referred to in the Mining Plan as: Hi -Cal ridge, 2nd ridge, 3rd ridge, and 4th ridge. Mining is currently occurring within the Hi -Cal ridge and the 3rd ridge. The Operator conducts periodic blasting which results in benches that area approximately 45' in height. Mining is progressing to the north. The blasted material is transported to the crusher facility which is located along the main access road, approximately 3,000 feet south of the pits. After crushing, the material is loaded onto a conveyor and transported south across Highway 66 to the CEMEX cement plant at the Lyons Quarry (M-1977-208). The conveyor route is approximately 7,000 LF and was not operating at the time of the inspection. The Operator informed the Division that the haul road leading from the crusher to the pits will be re-routed this year in order to reduce travel time of the haul trucks. The Division considers the haul roads to be internal to the active mining operation. Therefore, a Technical Revision to change the location of the haul road is not required. The bedding planes have a north/south strike and dip towards the east. Therefore the pit floors dip towards the east and the highwalls are formed along the north, south and east side of the pits. The Operator has committed to not exceeding a maximum depth of 170' in the Hi -Cal excavation or a maximum depth of 80' in the excavations for the other ridges. Based on the Division's observations, the operator has not exceeded the maximum allowed depths in either of the pits. The main overburden stockpile is located immediately south of the pits and a smaller secondary stockpile is adjacent to the crusher facility. Topsoil has been stockpiled along the east side of the pits and is currently providing a visual barrier between the mine site and County Road 47. The stockpiles are vegetated and stable. Revegetation: The Operator has completed reclamation on approximately 233 acres. The areas which have been reclaimed are in various stages; some areas are eligible for release while other areas will require additional time for vegetation to establish. The Division discussed seeking an acreage release for the portions of the mine which have achieved successful reclamation. The Operator does not intend to pursue release of any areas at this time due to the potential of redisturbing these areas. The Division observed thistle along the haul road and the stockpiles adjacent to the haul road. The Operator currently contracts weed control at the mine site. However, a review of the permit file found that the Operator does not have an approved weed control plan. The presence of noxious weeds and the lack of an approved weed control plan has been cited as a problem; please see the first pale of this report for additional information. Page 2 of 4