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October 26, 2023 C-2010-089/New Horizon North Mine CCW <br /> <br /> <br />Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 3 <br />Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 1 <br /> <br /> Page 2 of 8 <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 />Y - Fish & Wildlife <br />Y - Hydrologic Balance <br />Y - Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan <br />N - Other <br />N - Processing Waste <br /> <br />N - Roads <br />R - Reclamation Success <br />N - Revegetation <br />N - Subsidence <br />N - Slides and Other Damage <br />N - Support Facilities On-site <br />R - Signs and Markers <br />N - Support Facilities Not On-site <br />N - Special Categories Of Mining <br />Y - Topsoil <br /> <br /> <br />COMMENTS <br />This report documents the Division’s observations made during a partial inspection of the New <br />Horizon Mine. The inspection was conducted on October 26, 2023. Clayton Wein and Travis <br />Marshall represented the Division for the inspection. The operator, Elk Ridge Mining and <br />Reclamation (ERMR) was represented during the inspection by Tony Tennyson. The weather <br />was partly cloudy with a temperature of 50° F. The ground conditions were dry. <br /> <br />RECLAMATION SUCCESS - Rule 4.15, Rule 3: <br />During the inspection, the operator was removing rock and re-disking the reclaimed western ditch at the request of <br />the landowner (Photo 1). The reclaimed area remained at approximate original contour. The area was stable with <br />no indications of erosional features. The reclaimed pond 002 area was also stable with no erosional features <br />(Photo 2). The reclaimed east ditch was also observed to be erosion free and stable. The southern ditch and Pond <br />001 reclaimed areas had been de-rocked and re-disked prior to the inspection (Photo 3). The reclamation was <br />stable with no indications of erosion. All recently reclaimed areas had no indications of differential settling. All <br />bench 1 stockpiles, Mixed Topsoil Stockpile #1 and Mixed Topsoil Stockpile #2 were used during the reclamation <br />work conducted in 2023. The pads for the stockpiles were at approximate original contour and stable. There were <br />no erosional features observed. All recently reclaimed areas will be seeded after the rock removal and disking has <br />been completed. <br />The areas reclaimed to dryland pasture surround the center pivot of irrigated pasture. Reclamation of the dryland <br />pasture areas was completed in 2017, 2018 and 2020. Vegetation in these areas was doing well and helping <br />stabilize the reclamation (Photo 4 and Photo 5). There were no indications off differential settling observed in the <br />dryland pastures. The center of the permit area was reclaimed to an irrigated pasture in 2019. The reclamation <br />was stable with vegetative cover (Photo 6). There were no erosional concerns identified. The landowner has <br />identified a couple of locations with minor differential settling near the northwestern quadrant of the irrigated <br />pasture (Photo 6). ERMR stated during the inspection that additional topsoil will be placed in these areas to <br />remedy the settling. <br /> <br />SIGNS AND MARKERS – Rule 4.02: