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Colovryo C-1981-019 <br />14 February 2007 <br />Pg 2/ 5 ~d-J <br />Hydrologic Balance: -The operator has stopped the pumping activities in the Section <br />4 area of the West Pit (where the highwall miner began operating). The water was <br />pumped down enough to access the coal that was stockpiled there and it has been <br />hauled away. There is still a substantial amount of water in the pit and Colowyo is <br />currently planning on leaving it in place and backfilling the pit. <br />-The Section 16 Pond was inaccessible due to snow at the time of the inspection. <br />-The wash bay pond (not a NPDES discharge point) contained water approximately <br />two feet below the top of the embankment and was not discharging. This is a total <br />containment pond and discharge into the Work Area Pond triggers BTEX testing (in <br />addition to regular NPDES testing). The pond embankment was well vegetated and <br />appeared to be stable at the time of the inspection. No erosional problems were <br />noted on the pond embankment at the time of the inspection. <br />-The work area pond (NPDES 002A) contained water approximately one foot below <br />the top of the discharge pipe and was discharging through the weep hole on the <br />discharge pipe. The pond embankment was well vegetated and appeared to be <br />stable at the time of the inspection. No erosional problems were noted on the <br />embankment at the time of the inspection. <br />-The Gossard Pond (NPDES 003A) contained water approximately two feet below the <br />riser pipe and was not discharging at the time of the inspection (although Tony said <br />that the pond did discharge and was sampled in accordance with Colowyo's NPDES <br />permit). The pond embankment was well vegetated and appeared to be stable at <br />the time of the inspection. No erosional problems noted on the embankment at the <br />time of the inspection. The emergency spillway is a 12" culvert. <br />-All of the roadside ditches appeared to be clean and functioning as designed at <br />the time of the inspections. No erosional problems, sediment build-up or blow-outs <br />were noted at the time of the inspection. <br />-The West Pit Pond (NPDES 008A) contained water to the bottom of the gated valve <br />on the discharge pipe and was not discharging at the time of the inspection. There <br />was also a small pool of water in the presettling sump at the inlet of the pond. The <br />pond embankment was well vegetated and appeared to be stable at the time of <br />the inspection. No erosional problems noted on the embankment at the time of the <br />inspection. The emergency spillway is an open, trapezoidal riprapped channel. The <br />spillway was stable and well maintained at the time of the inspection. <br />-The East Taylor Pond (NPDES Ol OA) contained water approximately one foot below <br />the weep hole (approximately eight feet below the top of the discharge pipe) and <br />was not discharging at the time of the inspection. The pond embankment was well <br />vegetated and appeared to be stable at the time of the inspection. No erosional <br />problems noted on the embankment at the time of the inspection. The emergency <br />spillway is an open, trapezoidal riprapped channel. The spillway was stable and well <br />maintained at the time of the inspection. The water that was pumped from the <br />Section 4 area of the West Pit into the riprapped spillway of the East Taylor Pond did <br />not cause and erosional or stability problems. The diffuser appears to have worked <br />very well. Now that pumping has ceased and all of the equipment has been moved <br />from the site, the operator needs to remove the flex-tubing and diffuser from the <br />pond embankment. <br />