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<br />III. COMMENTS - COMPLIANCE <br />Below are comments on the inspection. The comments include discussion of <br />observations made during the inspection. Comments also describe any enforcement <br />actions taken during the inspection and the facts or evidence supporting the <br />enforcement action. <br />This was a partial inspection conducted by Tom Kaldenbach of the Colorado <br />Division of Minerals and Geology. Brian Watterson represented the operator. <br />With the operator's consent, this report was issued from the Denver office. <br />The ground was covered with snow from a storm that was passing through. <br />The snow cover significantly limited inspection. <br />The longwall was active in panel 14 Right. <br />Hydrologic Balance <br />The operator's representative reported that mine water had not been <br />pumped from the Fish Creek borehole (site 115) since about three days <br />prior to the inspection. Mine water had not been pumped from site 109 for <br />several days prior to the inspection (109 discharges into pond D, which <br />discharges into Foidel Creek). <br />The attached map shows electroconductivity values I made in Trout Creek <br />on the morning of the inspection. All measurements were made within a 3- <br />hour period from county road bridge crossings. These measurements <br />indicate Trout Creek was below the 1,000 µmhos/cm material damage suspect <br />level for irrigation water. These measurements also indicate the creek's <br />water probably is below the instream sulfate standard of 250 mg/1 <br />applicable on lower Trout Creek (segment 13a of the Yampa River basin). <br />Electroconductivity values in Trout Creek appeared to be elevated by <br />inflows along the Edna Mine segment, and downstream from there the <br />creek's water was being diluted by inflows from tributaries and/or snow <br />melt runoff. <br />I checked recent progress of the Foidel Creek Mine's hydrologic <br />monitoring by examining their field book where they record data. The <br />mine appears to be following its approved hydrologic monitoring plan. <br />(Note on previous inspection reports over past year: Site 301 was <br />mistakenly shown on maps in the inspection reports as being downstream <br />from the confluence of Trout and Middle Creeks, rather than the correct <br />location upstream from the confluence. This error would not cause a <br />significant change in assessing the hydrologic impacts.) <br />3 <br />