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~ ' (Page 2) MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID # M-81-229 INSPECTION DATE 11/5/97 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS RCO This "pre-operation" inspection was performed by the Division as a result of a recent submittal by the operator of a proposed amendment to the permit, comprised of additional land for a new access road. The operator was contacted about this inspection, and a time was arranged with the the agent representing the operator (named on page one), to meet at the site. He was present throughout the inspection. The site received a monitoring inspection by the Division on 6/17/97. Very little of the 52- acre permit area was inspected during this inspection. Main items observed involved the new access road and the old access road. At the northwest corner of the permit area, where the access road enters the pit, numerous flagged laths were observed which appear to be arranged along the irregular permit boundary. (The operator was notified during the 6/17/97 inspection that such markers were required, and the operator subsequently responded to the Division by letter dated 8/26/97 that the markers were installed.) If these are, in fact, some of the boundary markers, the operator is reminded that markers are required throughout the life of the mine, and laths will require ongoing monitoring and replacement, since they deteriorate over time. The amendment application had not been reviewed by the Division for "completeness" prior to this inspection. The inspection is a partial inspection, and will be regarded as sufficient for this amendment, if after the application being deemed complete, the land area to be affected remains the same as that area inspected. The road entrance to be used in this operation, after approval of this road alignment, was a gate in the highway right-of-way fence, and was marked by a sign containing all the required information. The "Notice" which the operator is required to post at the entrance, stating that an amendment has been applied for, was also observed clearly posted at the entrance. There is an existing dirt road located approximately along the alignment of the proposed road. Midway along the new road's length is a low area which probably gets muddy during seasonal moisture. This area may receive some fill, or the road may be slightly relocated toward the southwest, to elevate it on the toe of the hill. The placement against the hill will require some cut and fill. The corridor for the road is to be 50 feet wide, though the application does not yet reflect how wide the proposed asphalt surface is to be. Regarding the above-mentioned cut and fill, the operator is reminded that all earthwork must be within the defined corridor boundary, must be stable (e.g., have slopes of certain gradient and vegetated), and not contribute to off site disturbance (e.g., erosion or sedimentation advancing offsite). There is to be no other excavation, with the only notable material placement to be asphalt on the roadway. At the location of the entrance to the road, there is a small amount of placed fill between the edge of the paved highway (Colo Hwy 141) and the right-of-way fence. There is a shallow borrow ditch, and though no culvert was observed to pass under this dirt fill, the uphill area does not appear to impound water. The operator has applied for a CDOT access permit, which specifies how such entrances must be constructed and maintained. The Division will not dictate requirements within this portion of the new road. Other features of the site include the right-of-way fences on each side of the highway corridor, a gate and braced fence posts, and an overhead powerline on the southwest side of the highway (which passes over the entrance to the road). The CDOT may require the gate to be removed, which would have to be bonded. The powerpoles on either side of the entrance are distant enough to not be affected. The height of the overhead lines ie not known, but it is