INSPEC24853

• Permit No: C1982056
• IBM Index Class Name: Inspection
• Doc Name: Inspection Report
• Inspection Date: 7/8/2003
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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.
This was a partial inspection conducted by Tom Kaldenbach of the Colorado
Division of Minerals and Geology. Dave Wallace of Twentymile Coal Company
represented the operator during the inspection. With the operator's
consent, this report was issued from the Denver office.
The ground was dry. The longwall operation was active in panel 14 Right.
Hydrologic Balance
The concrete base of the pond D flume has been repaired. This is outfall
005 of CPDS permit CO-0027154. The need for repairs was noted in the May
2003 inspection report.
I checked most of the ditches in the surface facilities area for
compliance with design specifications as they are shown in Exhibit 8 of
the permit application (three tables in Tabs 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3). The
ditches were in good repair and appeared to meet design specifications,
with one exception: the lower part of ditch D-3, uphill from the 48"
culvert, needs reshaping to direct flow toward the culvert. This ditch is
capable of functioning but needs this maintenance work.
The operator has repaired the upper part of ditch RDA-2 so that it now
meets its design specifications shown in Volume II C, Exhibit 26 A.
Sediment has also been removed from this ditch. The need for these
repairs and maintenance were noted during the May 2003 inspection.
Revegetation
The operator has sprayed and killed off most of the whitetop noted in the
surface facilities area during the May 2003 inspection. Spraying efforts
are now being directed at thistle and houndstongue. Much of the thistle
in the surface facilities area appears to have been sprayed. The
operator's aggressive weed control effort is commendable.
Exploration Reclamation
As a follow-up to last month's special focus inspection of exploration
drill sites, I spoke with Rocky Thompson of Twentymile Coal Company. He
manages exploration drilling and the reclamation of those sites. He
explained that the 2002 sites mentioned in last month's inspection report
as needing seed, have been seeded twice, once soon after drilling in
2002, and once at the beginning of Spring 2003. He is investigating why
there was such poor seed propagation at those sites, and will re-seed at
the appropriate time, probably at the end of Fall 2003.
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