2015-12-18_INSPECTION - C1981012

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December 15, 2015 C-1981-012/New Elk Mine RDZ the PAP; NECC needs to explain this. Culverts C17B and C17C no longer exist. Culvert C17 appears to be longer than shown on Map 13. Culvert C87 is half full of sediment. It is not clear how problematic this is because the function of the culvert appears to not be essential. It diverts clean water to the Middle Fork of the Purgatoire River below Pond 007A, but if it was fully blocked the runoff in the clean water ditch would simply flow to the river at a point further east. Nevertheless, it is recommended that NECC clean this culvert. The following wells were inspected and they were found to be intact and capped: PAW-1, PAW-2, PAW-8, PAW-9, and NEW-4. The following observations with ditches were made: The ditches along the entrance road (D10A and D13) are in good shape. The clean water ditches near the soil storage area (D9 and D18) are in good shape. Ditch D22 is poorly defined at the upper end. The northwest corner of the clear water ditch above the RDA was found to be in good shape. The following ponds were inspected: 001A, 004A, 006A, 007A, and 08. (Note that the complete names of the ponds may not agree with past inspections. This is due to discrepancies in the PAP.) All were holding significant volumes of water except Pond 004A. None of them was discharging. Other observations with the ponds: The Pond 08 spillway has a very small leak per past inspections. At the time of the December 2015 inspection, there was no water flowing, but there was the sign of a trickle in recent days at the downstream end of the pipe (the pipe was wet). The water in Pond 08 was approximately 10 inches below the primary spillway. No other problems were seen with spillways or embankments. The liner in Pond 001A appears to be intact. No flow into Pond 006A was observed. There was too much water in the ponds to assess the sediment levels in Ponds 007A and Pond 08. As noted in the past, NECC should survey these ponds as soon as practical as these are critical for public safety and minimization of off-site hydrologic impacts. There are large shrubs on the embankment of Pond 004A, but they should not be removed unless the holes left by the roots are repaired. This pond does not hold much water, in general. ROADS Rule 4.03 Construction 4.03.1(3)/4.03.2(3) Drainage 4.03.1(4)/4.03.2(4) Surfacing and Maintenance4.03.1(5) and (6)/4.03.2(5) and (6) Reclamation 4.03.1(7)/4.03.2(7): No erosion or other problems with roads south of State Highway 12 were identified. The road to the RDA was functional, although the ditch along the road to the RDA is very shallow at some locations. SUPPORT FACILITIES - Rule 4.04: Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 5 Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 2 313 Page of