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III. COMMENTS -COMPLIANCE Below are comments on the inspection. The comments include discussion of observations made during the inspection. Comments also describe any enforcement actions taken during the inspection and the facts or evidence supporting the enforcement action. small ephemeral arroyo within a quarter mile below the mine, and there appeared to be insignificant erosion or deposition within t:he arroyo. There was significant sediment deposition in the main drainage channel immediately below the road/pond embankment, but off site impacts which might have been exacerbated by the mine road, ~- bench, and drainage features appear to have been minimal. More specific observations are addressed below, presented roughly in sequence from the upper to lower portions of the mine site. Diversion #1 The upper segment of Diversion Ditch No. 1, the 100 year diversion ' on the steep slope above the Fruita No. 1 mine bench, Baas ~ ;, completely buried by mud and boulders up to 8' in diameter along a 100 to 150 yard segment. Drainage from a relatively large area of very steep sandstone and shale slopes with minimal vegetation cover converges at the head of the narrowly U shaped canyon in which 'the mine is situated. The volume of runoff and debris generated from the steep slopes was much greater than the ditch could contain. The segment of Diversion #1 below the buried segment at the upper end down to the main Fruita #i access road was scoured in steep segments, and completely buried at two switchback curves. In these locations, flow escaped the diversion, resulting in gully erosiorY on the slopes below. At the lower switchback, mud and boulders up to 5 feet in diameter completely filled the ditch along a 150 foot segment, A small safety bench directly beneath the buried upper diversion segment, but approximately 30 feet above the #1 Portal location, was buried by mud up to two feet deep. Flows appear to have poured over the steep slope below the diversion in three main flow paths, converging into two primary flow paths on the relatively flat bench below. Fruita #1 Mine Bench A significant portion of the 3:1 Fruita No. 1 backfill slope at the base of the highwall was eroded away, and the relatively flat bunch below the backfill slope was almost completely covered Frith saturated mud from 6" up to apparently two or three feet deep, with boulders of varying size up to 8 feet in diameter spread out along the margins of the two primary flow paths across the bench.