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III. COMMENTS -COMPLIANCE Below are comments on the inspection. The comments include discussion.of observations.made during the inspection. Comments also describe any enforcement actions taken during the Inspection and the facts or evidence supporting the enforcement action. . This was a partial inspection conducted by Jce Dudash of the Colorado DMG. Bill Bear represented the operator. Longwall mining in the D-seam has ended. The longwall equipment is being dismantled for the move to the B-seam. The move can not occur until some development mining in the B-seam is completed. The operator anticipates longwall operations to begin in the B-seam in early April. Samples of the dark colored spring water west of the main water tank were taken for analysis. Coal Waste Piles The operator has done a very good job on coal waste pile no. 2. The top of the pile has been graded and compacted. There were no pools of standing water on top of the pile. There was positive drainage off of the top of the pile and off of the first bench. A dozer was working the top of the pile, grading subsoil material with coal waste for compaction. The coal waste was not overly wet. Topsoil was being removed adjacent to the east end of the pile and trucked to the topsoil stockpile on the west side of the pile azea. To the back of the pile, the operator was extending the underdrain. The ditches leading to the sediment pond, Pond F, had sufficient capacity and the riprap was in place. There was very little water in the pond. The operator has installed a pump inside a concrete and metal housing for dewatering of the pond. The pond embankment was stable but will need to be seeded this year. The operator has been increasing the number of disturbance markers azound this site. There have not been any recent additions to coal waste pile no. 1. The top of the pile was graded and compacted and had positive drainage. The underdrain was exposed at the back of the pile. The road leading up to the top of the pile was in good condition. The water level in Pond D was about 4 feet below the emergency spillway. The haul road leading to the two coal waste piles was in good condition. The outside berm was ample in height. There were no problems at the material storage areas along the road. Pond C, which is located in this azea and which receives surface drainage from the main mine, had been dewatered recently. The water level was about 5 feet below the emergency spillway. The operator was preparing to clean out the west end of this pond. The topsoil stockpiles in this azea were protected by straw bales and were mazked by topsoil stockpile signs. Main Mine Site The contractor has neazly completed the conveyor system leading from the B-seam portal bench up to the D- seam portal bench. The wash plant has not operated for over a week due to repairs. Except for the two small slumps, one above the haul road near the D-seam portal bench and the other behind the wash plant, there were no signs of slope instability with any of the bench cuts and fills. Slopes were well vegetated. No coal was stockpiled on the D-seam portal bench but a moderate volume of coal was stockpiled on the coal stockpile bench. There were no problems with fugitive dust. ' The operator had trouble with the valve on the primary discharge pipe for Pond B. Therefore, a field minor revision was written so that the operator could dewater the pond using a pump. The pump intake was attached to afloat so that water could be taken off of the top of the water pool. The operator will sample each dischazge event for NPDES compliance. The dischazge was clear. At the time of the pumping startup, the water level in the pond was 3.5 feet below the emergency spillway invert. Unit Train Loadout There was a loaded train at the unit train loadout. No evidence of fugitive dust was observed. The loadout bench outslope was well vegetated. There was no water in Pond J or in Pond K. On the extreme west end of the railroad siding bench, the outslope was also well vegetated. No erosional problems were seen.