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August 18, 2016 C-1980-007/West Elk Mine LDS <br /> <br /> <br />Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 2 <br />Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 0 <br /> <br /> Page 2 of 6 <br /> <br /> <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 />N - Availability of Records <br />N - Backfill & Grading <br />N - Excess Spoil and Dev. Waste <br />N - Explosives <br />N - Fish & Wildlife <br />R - Hydrologic Balance <br />R - Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan <br />N - Other <br />R - Processing Waste <br /> <br />Y - Roads <br />N - Reclamation Success <br />R - Revegetation <br />N - Subsidence <br />R - Slides and Other Damage <br />N - Support Facilities On-site <br />N - Signs and Markers <br />N - Support Facilities Not On-site <br />N - Special Categories Of Mining <br />N - Topsoil <br /> <br /> <br />COMMENTS <br /> <br />This was a partial inspection by Leigh Simmons of the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety <br />(Division). Kathy Welt and Jessica Wilczek of Mountain Coal Company (MCC) each accompanied parts of the <br />inspection. The weather was clear and dry, although a short, intense rain storm hit the area the previous evening. <br />The mine was active. <br /> <br />HYDROLOGIC BALANCE - Rule 4.05 <br />Drainage Control 4.05.1, 4.05.2, 4.05.3; Siltation Structures 4.05.5, 4.05.6; Discharge Structures 4.05.7, 4.05.10; <br />Diversions 4.05.4; Effluent Limits 4.05.2; Ground Water Monitoring 4.05.13; Surface Water Monitoring 4.05.13; <br />Drainage – Acid and Toxic Materials 4.05.8; Impoundments 4.05.6, 4.05.9; Stream Buffer Zones 4.05.18: <br /> MCC staff had just finished cleaning the east cell of the RPE ponds. The west cell did not need to be <br />cleaned. The pictures show that a small amount of sediment was intentionally left behind in the pond in order to <br />ensure that the machine operator did not compromise the pond liner. 173 truck loads of material were removed <br />from the pond and treated as refuse. <br />The south cell of the MB5E ponds had been partially cleaned (the long reach backhoe was being moved at <br />the time of the inspection so that the job could be completed). The material removed from the pond turned out to <br />be mostly coal fines and was blended back in to stockpiled coal. The northern cell had not been touched. <br />At the RPEE, the surface drainage at the point the road accesses the pile was still in a temporary <br />configuration pending a re-design to aid drainage during the season of snow-melt. <br /> <br />GENERAL MINE PLAN COMPLIANCE: <br /> The longwall was in panel E6, at cross-cut 42 on the head gate. The continuous miners were at cross-cut <br />45 of the E7 head gate. At the time of the inspection the longwall was operating on one shift and the continuous <br />miners were parked; the wash plant was in use. <br /> <br />Several permitting actions are in progress: