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• (Page 2) • MINE ID k OR PROSPECTING ID # M-91-054 INSPECTION DATE 9/9/99 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS RCO OBSERVATIONS This inspection was performed by the Division as part of its monitoring of 110 metals permits. The operator was contacted about the inspection but was not present during the inspection. The permit area consists of two separate parcels: an upper pad at the shaft location and a lower pad at the tunnel portal location. The site was not active at the time of the inspection. Two pieces of mining equipment were present at the upper pad site: a Cat D8 dozer and a Leroi diesel (wheeled) compressor. No fuel appeared to be stored at the site, and there was no visible soil staining from hydrocarbons. (These equipment locations appear to be the same as those in the 1994 inspection photos.) The shaft pad area is adjacent to the forest road which provides access to the permit area. It is a narrow pad located on a steep hillside, and includes a vertical cut face about 220 ft long x 20 ft high, a waste rock pile area about 120 ft x 60 ft and piled about 12 ft deep average. The shaft has apparently been closed, and the exact shaft location is not discernible. The pad surface is level but fairly rough. There is no upslope diversion, but the pad appears to contain all surface runoff. The road is located along the outer edge of the pad, and is bermed. The road connecting the two pad areas has not been used by wheeled traffic in several years. It is littered with large rocks which have rolled down from upslope, partly blocked by sloughed fine material, and is becoming vegetated on its own (mainly by a species of seneciol. A game trail is the only evidence of use. The lower pad area is directly downhill from the shaft pad. There was no equipment there. The only recent mining-related item noted was an empty 40-gallon steel drum. (A 1994 inspection photo shows this drum was on the upper pad at that time.) There was no soil staining, and no other debris (except for about 40 feet of very old steel rail). The tunnel portal was nearly closed by sloughing material. There was no eMerior portal shed, but the actual portal opening was seen to be timbered. The pad surface is smooth and level. A significant number of large rocks have rolled down from above onto the pad. If the operation is to be reactivated, these boulders would have to be moved, but may be useful in final closure of the portal. The sidecast material forming the outslope of this lower pad appears stable, but has covered the bases of several large spruce trees, killing at least four of them to-date. The permit area boundary was marked by at least six steel posts, which appeared to roughly conform to the mapped boundaries in the file. One marker was in the center of the upper pad, possibly on the location of the closed shaft. The file contains a 9/16/96 note from the operator stating that the permit ID signs were placed in the "entrance to the tunnels of the old mines." It is not clear if this means that there is more than one portal, or if the shaft is the second "entrance" included in this statement. There was no sign visible anywhere at the site, though the operator knows it is a required item to be maintained at the site. If one or more signs were present, they were not observed. (If keeping the signs safe from snowslides or vandals is a concern, and it is expected that the same equipment will be kept at the site, the signlsl could possibly be affixed to the equipment itself.) The lack of a clearly visible sign is noted as a problem on gage one of this report because it is required by Rule 3 1 12 If a sign was present abating this problem will be as simple as contacting this inspector as to its location. If there was no sign, the operator must install one, before the site is inaccessible this year. The corrective action date is shown on the last page of this report. The bond for this site is 51500, and the amount has not been re-evaluated in several years. This office will examine the reclamation plan, and compare it to the site conditions observed, to see if the present amount is adequate. Any increased amount will be communicated to the operator. There were no other problems noted or observations made during this inspection. For all questions or responses to this report, please contact this inspector at the following address or phone: 484 Turner Dr., Bldg. F-101, Durango CO 81301; tel 970/247-5193 or fax 970!247-5104. (Please note: this office will move to a new address in Durango, effective 10/1/99. The new address will be 701 Camino del Rio, Room 125. The phone numbers will not change.)