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July 23, 2015 C-1981-022/Elk Creek Mine JRS <br />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 />R - Roads <br />N - Availability of Records <br />N - Reclamation Success <br />N - Backfill & Grading <br />N - Revegetation <br />N - Excess Spoil and Dev. Waste <br />N - Subsidence <br />N - Explosives <br />N - Slides and Other Damage <br />N - Fish & Wildlife <br />R - Support Facilities On-site <br />R - Hydrologic Balance <br />N - Signs and Markers <br />N - Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan <br />N - Support Facilities Not On-site <br />N - Other <br />N - Special Categories Of Mining <br />N - Processing Waste <br />N - Topsoil <br />COMMENTS <br />This was a partial inspection of the Elk Creek Mine conducted by Jim Stark of the Colorado Division of <br />Reclamation, Mining and Safety. Doug Smith, representing Oxbow, LLC, accompanied me on the inspection. <br />The mine was not producing or shipping coal and has not been operational since a fire in the gob was discovered. <br />The remaining coal stockpile was sold and hauled off site several months ago and much of the remaining <br />equipment was auctioned off. Some of this equipment, which is queued up at the Elk Creek facilities area and the <br />pad for the coal stockpile, was being loaded and hauled away during the inspection. The weather was warm and <br />sunny and the ground was dry. <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 A is a small, incised pond by the railroad tracks and Colorado Highway 133. It was used to collect wash <br />down water from the loadout structure. The pond was dry at the time of the inspection. The pond was stable and <br />no erosional problems were noted. <br />- Pond B contained water approximately six feet below the emergency spillway and was not discharging at the <br />time of the inspection. Discharge from the pond is through a gated valve below the surface of the water. This <br />pond collects runoff from the lower facilities area, including wash down water. The pond embankment was well <br />vegetated and stable and no erosional problems were noted. <br />- Pond C was dry at the time of the inspection. The concrete embankment was stable and no problems were noted. <br />- Pond D contained water approximately two feet below the primary spillway and was not discharging at the time <br />of the inspection. The pond embankment was well vegetated and stable and no erosional problems were noted. <br />- The East Yard pond was dry at the time of the inspection. The pond is an incised pond. The pond was stable and <br />no erosional problems were noted. <br />Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 1 <br />Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 0 <br />Page 2 of 4 <br />