2006-04-05_INSPECTION - M1995035

• Permit No: M1995035
• IBM Index Class Name: Inspection
• Doc Date: 4/5/2006
• Doc Name: Inspection Report
• From: DMG
• To: Connell Resources
• Inspection Date: 3/28/2006
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

(Page 3)
MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID # M-1995-035
INSPECTION DATE 03/28/06
INSPECTOR'S INITIALS ESC
the ongoing reclamation of the Stute Pit. In addition, with the added water from dewatering,
the southern berm of Phase I was breached or lowered and water was discharging the pit. The
water was ponding and eventually flowed into a ditch east of the Wellington Downs pit where
it meets WCR 36. From there, water is Carried under a culvert to the Luther Harris Pit (M-
1987-135). Water was also observed crossing over the dirt road established between Phases I
and II of the Weitzel Pit.
In two locations described above, groundwater was not confined within the pits and was
discharging off site (it is unclear if an NPDES permit remains active for this site to
account for pit discharge). The first location was groundwater crossing over the road
between the two pits Phases I and II. The second location was water discharging off site
east of the Wellington Downs site. Lafarge will need to repair all berms that have been
breached or lowered (on the north and south ends of phase I) and install a culvert or other
structure to safely pass the water between Phases I and II. This needs to be a Technical
Revision to account for culvert design and placement.
Lafarge contends that the lining of the two Connell Pits (Stute and Wellington Down) has
raised the groundwater table in the Weitzel Pit thus saturating trees that were planted,
increasing the surface area exposure for augmentation, and allowing the pits to discharge
(which may not be currently permitted under an NPDES permit).
Wellington Downs Pit (M-1995-035):
Mining of the site ie complete and reclamation of the pit began in 2004 with construction of
the clay liner. Connell Resources submitted a surety reduction request for the liner portion
of the site including a letter of approval from the Office of the State Engineer (OSE). The
release request is currently pending.
A review of the Wellington Downs pit indicates that the depth to groundwater is 10 feet below
the surface. Groundwater monitoring wells and a monitoring program were not required during
the initial permitting of the site.
According to Connell, during the liner construction of the Wellington Downs Pit in 2004,
water was overflowing from the Weitzel Pit interfering in the liner construction. Connell
breached the Weitzel Pit embankment on the southeast side in order to route the water away
from the Wellington Downs Pit.
No seepage of water was observed on the northern face of the Wellington Downs Pit. The liner
construction was approved by the OSE in a letter dated July 7, 2005. The problems noted in
this inspection have no bearing on the integrity of the liner and Connell's request for a
bond reduction. Based on the approval of the liner from the OSE, the Division will approve
the bond reduction request submitted by Connell Resources (SR-O1).
Resolution)
It appears that lining and backfilling of the two Connell pits may have created a mounding of
the groundwater table thus raising the water level in the Weitzel Pit. Impacts to the
Weitzel Pit due to the increase in the groundwater table has interfered in the reclamation
plan, and produced continued discharge from the site. Therefore, the following corrective
actions will need to be taken by the following parties (see also page 5 for corrective action
due dates where applicable);
o Connell Resources will need to submit an Amendment application for the Stute pit
changing the reclamation of the site from groundwater ponds to a lined pond and the
backfilling of the remainder of the site (see inspection report of 12/20/05 for
further detail). The Amendment application must take into account impacts to the
hydrologic balance from the lining and backfilling of the pits in accordance with
Rule 3.1.6. Based on the determination, Connell will need to propose a mitigation
plan to minimize the impacts to the hydrologic balance. The deadline for submittal
of the Amendment application has been extended to June 1, 2006.
o Lafarge will need to fix the two breaches within the Weitzel pit (between phases I
and II and the outflow) to allow for no discharge off site or revise the reclamation