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. - .~ • McCAR MINING CORPORATION/OHIO CREEK/~2 MINE 717.12 SIGNS AND MARKERS All signs that are required to be posted were noted and could be easily read. 717.14 BACKFILLING AND GRADING The deep mine exit and entry portal is being rebuilt. The old mine exit was not stable, so it is being reinforced with concrete and steel supports. Some of the dirt and rock on the mine face and around the portal had to be removed before this reinforcement could be completed. Several buckets of this material was pushed or dropped with a small highlift from the top to the lower pad. These deposits were made after the state ordered the company to stop dumping. , However, the development material was dumped east of the existing waste pile. Development of the mine portal and face is an act of mining, so a Notice of Violation is going to be issued for mining without an approved mining plan or permit. 717.15 DISPOSAL OF EXCESS ROCK AND EARTH MATERIALS The Mined Land Reclamation Board addressed the disposal of excess rock and earth materials in their cease and desist order. Several tons of material from faults and adit development. have been brought out of the mine. It has been pushed off of the upper pad onto :the lower bench which is not an authorized disposal area at the present time. Mr. Weaver wanted to know where these materiais'shouid be dumped. Due to the limited size of the mine, it would seem likely that some other site for disposal must be considered. Mr. Weaver failed to acknowledge the engineering requirements that are. necessary prior to and during the disposal. This is also a factor that should be reviewed. 717.17 PROTECTION OF THE HYDROLOGIC`SYSTEM Snow accounts for approximately 70~ of the total annual precipitation, which is about 16 inches per year. The lack of moisture during the short growing season (50 to 75 days with frost expected every month), precludes the growth of agricultural crops. The immediate mine area contains no flowing streams or springs. Surface run-off flows through normally dry gulches leading to Carbon Creek, two miles to the west, and Ohio Creek, two miles to the south. Water seeps from the floor of the mine and collects in low places. Mr. Weaver indicated that the water is occassionally pumped to the adit end which is down dip. The mine water is potable, according ~co Mr. Weaver, because he drinks it. Ae also indicated that livestock and wildlife drink from a pool on the other side of the hill that is at the entrance to the old workings. We confirmed the presence of the water and a seep from the old entry, but were unable to determine exactly what the source was. This discharge of water into an under- ground mine is in violation of Section 717.17(1) of the interium regulations. _2_