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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 a complete inspection and a Phase III (final) bond release inspection of the North Thompson Creek Mine, conducted by Tom Kaldenbach of the DRMS on April 17, 18, and 20, 2007. The bond release portion of the inspection was conducted on April 17 in response to the operator's filing of a Phase III bond release application (SL-06), which the DRMS received October 10, 2006 and found complete on January 10, 2007. SL-06 requests full and final bond release for the permit area. A Phase III bond release can occur when the permittee has successfully completed all surface coal mining reclamation operations in accordance with the approved reclamation plan. Upon approval of the full Phase III release, the DRMS would release all reclamation bond, terminate the mining and reclamation permit, and terminate DRMS regulatory jurisdiction over the site. The bond release portion of the inspection was conducted on April 17, 2007 in accordance with Section 3.03.2(2), soon after winter snow- pack melted from the site. The inspection continued as a regular quarterly complete inspection site visits on April 18 and 20, 2007, which focused on hydrologic sampling and a records check. The following people attended the bond release portion of the inspection on April 17: Byron Walker of DRMS, Stan Muhr and Jim Stover, representing the mine operator; Henry Austin of the federal Office of Surface Mining; Warren Rider and Rose Ann Sullivan, representing Pitkin County; and Chad Rudow, representing the Roaring Fork Conservancy. The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service were notified of the inspection, but did not attend. (A representative of the U.S. Forest Service, Olivia Gazcia, had attended an inspection of the mine site on April 12, 2007 during an inspection that began Apti! 11.) The disturbed areas at the mine site and loadout aze on privately-owned land. Reclamation bond on deposit with the State is associated with the following three items: the 4.3-acre permanent Developed Water Resources azea, two flumes in North Thompson Creek, and two flumes in Middle Thompson Creek. Of the 3,300 acres in the bond release area, 1,504 acres were affected by mining, which included both federal and privately owned surface and coal mineral rights. The mine site and loadout site were cleaz of snow during the inspection. (The loadout previously received final bond release, but has not been removed from the permit azea.) During the bond release portion of the inspection, the ground was drying out from light rain that fell on the morning of April 17. There was no standing or flowing water on the site, other than in ponds and the high, turbulent springtime flow in North Thompson Creek. Vegetation on the site was greening up. Photographs taken during the inspection are provided at the end of this report. Availability of Records All required records were on file at the Ga~eld County Courthouse in Glenwood Springs (see attached list).