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(Page 2) MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID #: M-78 -225 INSPECTION DATE: August 24, 2001 OBSERVATIONS INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: AIW This was apre-operational inspection conducted in response to a conversion application. The inspection was conducted by Tony Waldron and Alan Amundson of DMG along with Troy Crane and Clarence Stevenson of Baca County. The site is located approximately 11 miles west of Pritchett, Colorado. The pit is situated on an old alluvial terrace which is dissected on both sides of the pit by small drainages. The pit is properly signed and the permit boundaries are clearly marked. The active pit walls have been sloped and there was a stockpile of screened material on the pit floor. The conversion will increase the overall acreage to 160 acres but mining will continue to proceed rather slowly on an as needed basis. The operator needs to devise a better plan for salvaging and stockpiling topsoil to ensure that this valuable resource will be available for use during reclamation. Presently, the topsoil is windrowed just above the advancing highwall, which had advanced as far as it could in the 110 permit area. However, now that the area could expand well beyond that, the topsoil will need to be stockpiled in an out of the way location. Eventually, the pit should reach a comfortable working size so that the topsoil can be live-handled, meaning that it can be removed from its in-situ location and replaced on a re-graded area in one operation, thus eliminating the need to stockpile. A second item which will eventually need to be addressed is the management of surface water flows running down over the reclaimed slopes that will remain once mining is completed. This can be dealt with in a couple of different ways such as putting in structures that will concentrate the flows into one location that can then be designed to handle these flows, or installing structures that completely divert water away from the pit slopes. A third thing would be to flatten out the reclaimed slopes to 4H:1 V or flatter instead of 3H:1 V as currently approved. Flatter slopes tend to increase the odds ofsuccessful vegetation establishment which typically reduces the potential for serious erosion to occur. You may want to review the site in more detail prior to proposing any changes. This concluded the inspection and no problems were cited. The problems that were identified during the last inspection have been addressed by properly removing and disposing of the petroleum waste products. I & E Contact Address NAME: Trov Crane OPERATOR: Baca County Commissioners STREET: 741 Main Street CITY/STATE/ZIP: Springfield, CO 81073 cc: Jim Stevens-DMG La rry Oehler-DMG ^ CE ^ BL ^ FS ^ HW ^ HMWMD (CH) ^ SE ^ WQCD (CH) ^ OTHER