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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. A hand-held, survey grade GPS unit was used to field locate the former monitoring well and exploration-hole locations (see attached Photo 1). In all but only a few cases there was no evidence of the former monitoring well or drill hole in the field. This is due to the fact that the number of acres reclaimed during the well abandonment is insignificant. Each well takes a reclaimed area of less than 0.5 square feet at the surface. According to WFC and information obtained from available records, the reclamation work was conducted as per the permit requirements. At all of the monitoring well locations for which bond release was requested, the vegetation had become re-established at the site of the former well. From three feet below ground to the surface was filled with topsoil and seeded at each location. In only a couple of cases there were a small amount ofrock chips evident and in one case (GW- N27) there was an old monitoring well tag with the well number left on the ground surface (see Photo 2). At the exploration holes that could be located, vegetation is less well established because they have only recently been abandoned (2005). A large number of the exploration drill holes were located in what is now the pit area and have been mined through including NHOS-1 c through NHOS-13c, The remainder of the exploration holes aze located within the permit boundary to the west and south of the active pit area. The majority of these holes are in a current producing hay field and there was no evidence of the exploration holes at the surface. Based on this inspection, it was determined that all of the 21 groundwater monitoring wells and 27 exploration drill holes had been abandoned. Abandonment reports have been submitted to the Division for all of the exploration drill holes. These were submitted with Minor Revision No. 72. Monitoring well abandonment reports were located for all groundwater monitoring wells except for the following: GW-N4, GW- N4R, GW-NS (indicated by WFC as mined through), GW-Nl l (indicated as reclaimed but no abandonment report), and GW-N16, -17, and -18. As stated in WFC's amendment to the bond release application dated January 31, 2007, GW-N16, -17, and -18 were reclaimed by Peabody Coal Company while WFC was in the process of acquiring the New Horizon Mine from them. If abandonment reports are available or can be located for these seven wells mentioned above, please submit these records to the Division.