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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. This was an aerial inspection flown by Harry Ranney of the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology on December 17, 2003. Kent Gorham of the CDMG reviewed digital oblique aerial photographs in the office on January 5, 2004. This site is temporarily inactive due to the shutdown of the sister operation Lorencito Canyon, #C-96-084. The weather was clear and visibility was good. Patchy snow cover was noted in some areas. Hydrologic Balance Four ponds remain at the site. All were clearly visible in one or more of the photos taken. Pond 8 appeared to be mostly frozen and holding a moderate amount of water. Pond 7 held frozen water in the inlet area. Pond 4 held a small amount of frozen water in the southeast corner. Pond 6 was dry. All pond embankments appeared normal and in good condition. Spillways. where visible appeared normal. No breaches of sediment diversion ditches could be discerned from the photographs. The sediment marker has been reset in Pond 7 near the back of the pond. Pond 8 at the RDA held water about two feet below the crest of the principle spillway drop inlet. Processing Waste The preparation plant at the site has been shutdown since March 1996. Prior to the shutdown, coal processing waste was conveyed over Highway 12 to a permitted disposal area in an adjacent ephemeral drainage north of the highway. Benches of about 50 feet m height were constructed and the outslopes reclaimed as the fill gained size. Presently, four bench outslopes have been reclaimed. Water is diverted from the exposed refuse surface to downdrains that flank the fill, diverting flow to pond 8 at the toe of the fill. Flow from the outslopes is diverted to downdrains wa terrace benches. Three peizometers located on the terrace benches monitor potential build up of a phreatic surface in the fill. A 100-year diversion prevents water from flowing over the working surface and diverts flow to the downdrains and to the sediment pond below. All of these features are clearly visible in the next photograph.