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PERMIT#:M-1983-033 <br /> INSPECTOR'S INITIALS:TC1 <br /> INSPECTION DATE:November 21,2019 <br /> OBSERVATIONS <br /> This inspection was conducted by Tim Cazier(DRMS) as part of the regular monitoring program. The Permittee, <br /> Albert Frei &Sons (AFS)was represented by Messrs. Al Frei,Jr. and Steve O'Brian (Environment, Inc.) during the <br /> inspection. The Walstrum Mine is accessed from US Hwy 6 near the intersection with 1-70 about five miles east <br /> of Idaho Springs. This is a 112c granite/aggregate mine. It was operating at the time of the inspection. A low <br /> cloud ceiling was present during the inspection. The lower portions of the mine were visible, but the visibility <br /> in the upper areas was very low. <br /> Availability of Records: Annual fees are paid through June 2019. The 2019 annual report indicates 158.1 acres <br /> are currently disturbed.The previous inspection was on September 20, 2013. The approved post-mine land use <br /> is rangeland, with the exception of the pit floor which was approved for commercial/industrial under AM-08. <br /> There are no open infractions. Both the surface and minerals are privately owned. <br /> Backfilling and Grading: Sufficient backfill material appeared to be available. <br /> Excess Spoil and Dev. Waste: Mr. Frei indicated they do not distinguish between overburden and topsoil when <br /> stripping this material in advance of mining. The stripped material is stockpiled (see Photo 1) and reserved for <br /> reclamation. <br /> Explosives: Mr. Frei stated the mine has a blasting plan. The blasting plan was filed with the DRMS with the <br /> approval of TR-07. Blasting is contracted out to Buckley Powder, who keeps blasting records and has been <br /> monitoring blasts since approximately 2001. <br /> Financial Warranty: The $742,000 bond held by the DRMS was last updated in 2002 with the approval of <br /> amendment 8 (AM-08). Over half of the bond ($453,888.)was required to address drilling and blasting required <br /> to widen the then existing narrow benches to 40 feet. A significant portion of the upper benches have been <br /> widened to 40 feet for reclamation. In addition, the site is practicing concurrent reclamation (including backfill <br /> and grading,topsoiling and seeding)on these final widened benches. As a result,this bond amount is considered <br /> adequate for the observed disturbance. Mr. Frei also indicated they would be submitting an amendment in the <br /> third quarter of 2020, at which time a new bond will be evaluation. It should be noted the pit floor post-mine <br /> land use is approved as commercial/industrial, thereby not requiring revegetation. <br /> Fish and Wildlife: No impact to wildlife was observed. A bighorn sheep was observed on the west side at the <br /> beginning of the inspection (see Photo 2). <br /> Hydrologic Balance: No standing water was observed in the pit and no exposed groundwater was observed. <br /> Gen. Compliance with Mine Plan: The maximum affected area at one time is 50 acres (established with the <br /> approval of TR-05 and confirmed with AM-08). However, the estimated 158± acre disturbance is appears to be <br /> within the AM-08 approved affected area boundary. One possible exception is a small area near the crest of <br /> the east highwall (see the attached Post 2019 Inspection map). Based on DRMS map work using Google Earth <br /> and overlaying an image of the approved affected area boundary, there may be as much as 0.6 acres outside <br /> the boundary. Due to the low visibility at the time of this inspection, the out of bounds condition could not be <br /> verified in the field. During a subsequent telephone conversation with Mr. Frei on 1/7/2020, he indicated a <br /> survey crew could verify whether or not this area is within the affected area boundary. The DRMS recommends <br /> Page 2 of 11 <br />