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August 27, 2002 <br />National King Coal <br />4424 County Road 120 <br />Hesperus, CO 81326 <br />King Coal Mine <br />Special focus evaluation <br />August 13, 2002 <br />Participants: <br />Tom Bird, National King Coal <br />Harry Ranney, Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (DMG) <br />Tonya Buclcmaster, Office of Surface Mining (OSM) <br />Howazd Strand, OSM <br />Henry Austin, OSM <br />I participated in a special focus evaluation of Small Area Drainage Exemptions (SAE'S) <br />which was selected as an evaluation topic by the joint DMG / OSM evaluation team. <br />Weather conditions were hot and extremely dry due to the continuing drought throughout <br />Colorado, and ground /vegetation conditions reflected these drought conditions. The <br />evaluation was limited to SAE evaluation. There is one primary SAE on this site. <br />Mr. Ranney led the evaluation and arranged a permit review by Mr. Bird and myself.to <br />evaluate how the SAE was described, and the demonstration of compliance with <br />applicable effluent criteria provided in the approved permit. Permit section 2.05.3 <br />discusses the approved SAE. The SAE is along the mine access / haulroad and is approx <br />.36 acres. The discussion indicates this area is too small and flat to provide an accurate <br />SEDCAD model to demonstrate compliance with the effluent criteria. Mr. Bird provided <br />a July 1, 1993, letter from King Coat to DMG which further discusses the SAE, and the <br />petmittee indicates representative water samples will be taken of the SAE dischazge in <br />the unlikely event runoff would leave the area. Water samples have never been taken at <br />this azea, or were not discussed / or results provided during the inspection. <br />The permit text further describes the SAE to use rock check dams, rock filters, and gravel <br />surfacing for the materials storage area to meet SAE requirements. The permit references <br />map C-4 and Appendix 8 for further information. We could not locate the approved SAE <br />on the most current map C-4, but we did locate it on previous map C-4 versions. Mr. Bird <br />agreed to add it to the current version. Appendix 8 basically discusses mine wide runoff <br />coverage provided by the sediment pond, but does not directly discuss the SAE. The <br />permit did riot include a typical design for the SAE. I recommended to Mr. Bird that the <br />permit be revised to provide a typical SAE design, and also to include the silt fence that is <br />being used for the SAE. The pemuttee is still obligated to take a representative water <br />sample if the SAE area dischazges off the permit area. <br />