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1` • (Page 21 • MINE ID rX OR PROSPECTING ID N M-86-061 INSPECTION DATE 1/11/00 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS RCO OBSERVATIONS This inspection was performed by the Division as part of its monitoring of Construction Materials 112 permits. The operator was contacted about the tentative inspection schedule, but was not present at the time of the inspection. The site is leased to another party, Don Gosney, for operations management, and who in turn leases the site to an onsite operator, Lafarge Corp. Todd Calderwood, representing Lafarge, was present throughout the inspection. There was a thin layer of snow cover at the site, but not enough to prevent access to the site or to prevent the inspection. The gate at the entrance to the site was locked to prevent unauthorized access. There was no mining activity at the time of the inspection. There was an adequate permit ID sign posted at the entrance. The permit area is irregularly-shaped, with much of the eastern boundary defined by the 6700-foot elevation contour. In this rolling, broken mesa land, this has produced a bizarre boundary line well up on the hillslopes, which is difficult to visually determine. It also can be difficult to operate in, since careless earthmoving may cause accidental offsite damage down the hillslope. The boundary was not adequately marked, though i[ should have been, as required by Rule 3.1.12. The lack of boundary markers, adequate to visually delineate the permit area boundary, is noted herein as a problem. The corrective action will be to accurately locate and mark all boundary markers. Please see the last page of this report for the correction date. Equipment noted onsite included several pieces of earthmoving equipment (wheeled loaders and dozersl, an asphalt batch plant and a crushing plant, and about ten portable conveyors. All fuel and fluid storage locations appeared to be adequately sized and lined with impermeable materials. The northern end of the permit comprises Phase I. It is nearly mined out, but reclamation has not progressed far. Though there is some evidence of recent slope backfilling and grading, there are new highwall faces that are either nearly vertical, and there are old slopes that exhibit several years of surface erosion. The asphalt plant and a significant amount of stockpiled product is located in Phase I. The eastern edge of the phase appears to be a large berm of topsoil or overburden. This may be material to be relocated during reclamation. If so, great care should be taken to protect the slopes below the berm from being disturbed, since they drain directly to the creek and they are outside the permit boundary. The eastern margin of the phase, located above Cottonwood Creek, is bermed to catch runoff. Stormwaters appear to be directed to the southwest and to the northeast. It is essential that runoff and sediment be adequately controlled, since the site is located on a hill above sloped land and a drainageway. The file includes a stormwater control plan map which shows drainage patterns and sediment ponds. The bermed material on the east edge is covered uniformly with an infestation of thistle. Thistles are listed as noxious weeds on the State weed law, and as such, are required to be controlled. The Lafarge representative stated that he belived that a weed control plan was in place. The presence of the infestation is considered a problem at this time as noted under the revegetation topic on page one. The corrective action is to provide a copy of the weed control plan if one exists, or to prepare a new one and submit it, along with a commitment [o monitor noxious weeds and treat them timely and as necessary. Please see the last page for the correction date. (lf a new plan is required, it must be prepared in consultation with a qualified weed control authority.) A recently released portion of the permit area was fenced off and was used as an agricultural equipment storage yard. There is no disturbance yet to the land recently added north of the original Phase I. A narrow section of the permit area at the head of a minor gulch, which separates Phases I and II, has recently been affected. The representative of Lafarge stated that Lafarge's crushing plant was moved in during the fall of 1999 to produce material for the asphalt plant. Newly excavated material was removed from the eastern facing hillslope at the Worthen end of Phase II, leaving a 20-foot vertical highwall and a level bench area. The preparation of the bench area