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MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID#: M-1977-534 PAGE: 2 <br />INSPECTION DATE: 7-25-03 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: ACS <br />OBSERVATIONS <br />This was to be an inspection of the Empire Pit conducted j ointly by Gregg Squire and myself and commencing at 2;00 <br />pm. I was delayed by a traffic jam on westbound I-70 and did not arrive at the site until after 3:30 pm. By chance, I <br />encountered Steve Jamieson of W.W. Wheeler at the front gate at a little after 4:00 pm and we did a vehicle tour of <br />the site. The following observations were made. <br />1. Pit run and processed material are being transported from the pit area at the west end of the pemut area to the future <br />processing and stockpile yard that will be at the east end of the site. Aone-way loop haul route has been established to <br />transport these materials, and the eastwazd leg of the route is on an old, pre-existing road that skirts the south fence <br />line and is partly outside of the mining and reclamation permit boundary. Rule I.1(3) of the Construction Materials <br />Rules of the Mined Land Reclamation Board exempts pre-existing roads that are not substantially upgraded to support <br />the mining operation from reclamation responsibility and such roads do not have to be in the permit. It was observed <br />that the road had not been substantially upgraded, and will most likely only be used temporarily to move material <br />from the future reservoir area to the east end of the permit. If the Operator does at some point decide to upgrade the <br />road or establish it as alife-of--mine haul road, the permit would have to be modified to include the road. (The term <br />"life-of-mine" is defined at Rule 1.1(22)). The Operator must further assure that all stockpiles and equipment storage <br />are kept within the permit boundaries. <br />2. The area east of (down gradient from) the proposed leg of the slung wall that is north of the creek is not within the <br />permit area and is not owned by the City of Golden. This azea is heavily treed, primarily with mature evergreens. <br />There are some cottonwoods along the edge of the creek. If by construction of the slurry wall these trees were to be <br />deprived ofsub-irrigation, and as a result damaged or killed, this would be an unacceptable off-site impact requiring <br />mitigation. The amendment AM-Ol application includes a seepage analysis that indicates the water table below the <br />slurry wall will not be lowered. In fact, the result of the slurry wall will be to raise the surface water elevation of the <br />creek through this reach. Also, since there will be a gap in the slurry wall at the location of the creek, the flux of water <br />through [he reach will be the same after the slurry wall is installed as it is presently except for when storage of water <br />to be entrained in the gravel deposits is accumulating. <br />3. Dam construction is underway at the site. The dam project has been approved, and construction will be overseen, <br />by the Dam Safety Section of the Office of the State Engineer. <br />4. A levee will be constructed to prevent the Probable Maximum Flood from spilling into the future reservoir. The <br />potential for floodplain impacts that may be caused by this levee will be addressed in the Division's forthcoming <br />adequacy review of the amendment application. <br />cc: Gregg Squire, DMG (via email) <br />Carl Mount, DMG (via email) <br />Steve Jamieson, W.W. Wheeler <br />(via email) <br />Maureen Jacoby, Banks & Gesso <br />(via email) <br />I & E Contact Address <br />NAME LeRov Marquez <br />OPERATOR Mountain Aggreeates, Inc. <br />STREET P.O. Box 535 <br />CITY/STATE/ZIP Castle Rock. CO 80104 <br />