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Colowyo C-1981-019 <br />16 October 200 <br />Pg 5/6 <br />Support Facilities: -The facilities area was in good condition at the time of the <br />inspection. No problems were noted with the area. <br />-The Gossard Loadout appeared to be stable and in good condition at the time of <br />the inspection. No fugitive dust coming from the coal stockpiles or stacker tube at <br />the time of the inspection. <br />Topsoil: -The operator moved the topsoil stockpile at the south edge of the West Pit <br />to allow for pit advancement and work on the South Taylor Pit. This topsoil was <br />moved to the west edge of the East Pit. The topsoil pile must now be sloped and <br />seeded to protect the resource. Tay also indicated that a perimeter ditch will be <br />constructed to contain the topsoil. <br />-The operator, through the contractor the Bower Brothers, has been removing topsoil <br />in the Taylor Creek drainage in what appears to be the area of the East Taylor Fill. <br />The topsoil is being stockpiled in the pile above the East Pit highwall. This is at least <br />the third consecutive year that Bower has removed topsoil at the Colowyo Mine. As <br />in the past, Bower is pushing the topsoil into windrows with a D10 dozer and loading <br />8-10 CAT 773 haul trucks with one or two CAT 385 excavators. The operation was <br />progressing nicely. Colowyo has not requested that an additional area in the draw <br />be exempted from topsoil removal due to steep, very rocky conditions. This area is in <br />addition to two areas that have been discussed in prior inspection reports. **See <br />pictures of this area at the end of this report** <br />-The operator has finished spreading the piles of topsoil that were hauled to the East <br />pit that were to be spread last year. Additionally, Colowyo is using a topsoil stockpile <br />that is in the middle of the East Pit reclamation. Colowyo has, to date, completed <br />more than 80 acres of topsoil replacement in the East Pit, Colowyo has hired a <br />contractor to seed the areas of the East Pit where topsoil has been replaced in <br />October. Currently, based on the changes made to the permit through Technical <br />Revision 62, approved on 29 May 2006, Colowyo is replacing approximately eight <br />inches of topsoil (as opposed to the previously approved cover of 18 inches) <br />General Mine Plan Compliance: -The 101 dragline is on the East Pit highwall <br />performing reclamation. <br />-The 102 dragline was in Taylor Draw removing F-Seam overburden in the West Pit. <br />This is the area where Colowyo removed E-Seam coal with the highwall miner last <br />summer. **See pictures of this area at the end of this report** <br />-The 103 dragline was in the West Pit removing overburden on the B-Seam. <br />-The 1 14 shovel operation was currently working on removing the X-Seam <br />overburden. <br />-The new Hitachi excavator (the 1 15 excavator) was removing X-Seam overburden. <br />-The operator was removing and hauling X-Seam coal at the time of the inspection. <br />-The operator was drilling and loading explosives in the B-Seam overburden for a <br />shot. <br />-The operator was dumping overburden in the final pit area of the East Pit in an effort <br />to finish the East Pit reclamation. <br />