2018-04-17_INSPECTION - C1996083

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April 12, 2018 C-1996-083/Bowie No. 2 Mine JHB Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 8 Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 3 Page 3 of 5 to after the precipitation event. It does not appear that significant change to the beaver pond occurred as a result of the July 2013 storm event. Review of the Division’s inspection report following the July 28, 2013, dated August 21, 2013, found evidence that Pond J was holding water at the time of the inspection and showed evidence that it had previously discharged through the primary and emergency spillways. There was no reporting on any sign of coal fines washing down the outlet channel. The report also did not describe significant damage or repair to pond J, whereas other ponds within the permit were specifically described as having damage and subsequent repair. The inspection photo of pond J shows sediment in the pond on August 21, 2013, but the sediment was not black or indicative of coal fines. The dry beaver pond is partially surrounded by a dense stand of cattails and willows on the south and west sides. Cattails act as a natural filter. Dimensions of the drying beaver pond are approximately 150 ft. long by 40 ft. wide. The inspectors attempted to walk along the channel to the Gunnison river as best as possible in the thick vegetative growth. West of the breached beaver dam, there was no evidence of black sediment material. Near the confluence with the river, there was no black material. There was no sign of black deposits along the river bank, or within older layers of the bank sediments. There appears to be no movement of the blackish material from east of the breached beaver dam westward to the river. The sediments in the drying beaver dam appear stable. There is a thick filter of cattails and willows between the previously dammed area and the river, and it does not appear that the black material in the dry beaver dam is a direct result of discharge from the Bowie No. 2 mine. At this time the Division recommends leaving the sediment alone. GENERAL MINE PLAN COMPLIANCE: The material observed offsite in the drying beaver pond does not appear to be a direct result of pond J discharge from the Bowie No. 2 mine. The beaver pond has inputs from the Gunnison River, runoff from Highway 133, and decaying vegetation, and discharge from Pond J. Documentation of discharges from Pond J does not indicate coal fines having been discharged from Pond J. The Division believes the pond has functione d as designed. DOCUMENTS RECEIVED NA OTHER (SPECIFY) NA ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS/COMPLIANCE No enforcement actions were initiated as a result of this inspection, nor are any pending.