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3 | Page <br />The off-site Jansen Loadout area was fenced and locked with appropriate mine identification <br />signs in place. Burglars recently broke into the area and damaged electrical conduits to steal <br />copper wire. The scene remains as the burglars left it due to the ongoing investigation. This <br />loadout is not currently in use, but coal fines remain on the ground at both ends of the conveyor <br />belt. This SAE appears to lack good sediment control, and coal fines should be removed to avoid <br />potential off-site impacts. The ground surface was stable and no off-site impacts were noted <br />during this inspection. <br />Rule 4.05: Hydrologic Balance <br />Containment area #1 was holding water with no evidence of discharge. Containment areas are <br />designed to be non-discharging. NECC would need to pump water to a sedimentation pond for <br />treatment prior to discharging off-site. Water levels were well below capacity in all containment <br />areas during this inspection. <br />Containment area #2 contained a small amount of water. Equisetum, a desirable species, is <br />present inside the containment area. A large patch of mullein (a List C weed) is present to the <br />east of the area. <br />Containment area #5 was holding water with no evidence of discharge. <br />Pond 001 was lined and holding water but not discharging. This pond used to receive water <br />pumped from underground workings, but is not currently used for this purpose. Water in the <br />pond is surface area runoff from the immediate vicinity. <br />Pond 004 was mostly dry with a small amount of water in the southeast corner. The primary <br />discharge riser and emergency open-channel spillways were both clear. Willows are well- <br />established in the pond and in the pond embankment. This pond appears to be drastically <br />oversized, so the willows inside the pond are not a cause for concern – the decrease in pond <br />capacity is negligible. However, woody species are not desirable on pond embankments because <br />their thick root structures can cause piping and threaten the stability of the embankment. <br />Pond 006 was holding water but not discharging. This pond was originally intended to be lined <br />and used for effluent from the wash plant, but is not currently lined or being used for this <br />purpose. No problems were noted. <br />Pond 007 is holding water but not discharging. The primary discharge riser was closed and water <br />was level with the top of the discharge structure. NECC had added flocculent to treat water in the <br />pond prior to discharging, but recent rains contributed additional runoff. NECC intends to floc <br />the pond again prior to sampling and discharging water. Flocculation equipment was on site but <br />not operating during our inspection. <br />Pond 008A was discharging at the beginning of the inspection. NECC staff collected water <br />samples at the discharge outfall on Tuesday afternoon. NECC sends its water samples to a lab in <br />Steamboat Springs for analysis. Mr. Zuber conducted an Imhoff cone test for suspended solids. <br />Negligible amounts of sediment settled in the cone after one hour, although the water did appear