INSPEC32999

• Permit No: C1980004
• IBM Index Class Name: Inspection
• Doc Name: Inspection Report
• Inspection Date: 10/25/2005
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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.
General Comments
This was a partial monthly inspection of the surface facility areas at the McClane Canyon Mine.
The inspection was conducted by Dan Mathews of the DMG Grand Junction Field Office,
accompanied by operator representative Rodney Head. Weather was clear and warm, surface
soils were moist from recent precipitation.
One enforcement action (NOV CV-2005-008) was issued based on this inspection. The NOV and
associated facts and observations are described below.
NOV CV-2005-008
CV-2005-008 was issued for "Failure to maintain upland diversion culverts and a haul road culvert
in accordance with approved designs and applicable performance standards".
The subject locations included the inlet of 42" upland diversion culvert "D", inlet of 18" upland
culvert "E", and inlet of 42" haul road culvert "H". Culvert "D" conveys undisturbed drainage from
large watershed C-3 to a diversion culvert buried beneath the mine bench facility area. Culvert
"E" conveys undisturbed drainage from a smaller watershed C-4, and ties into the same buried
diversion culvert as Culvert "D". Culvert "H" is located downstream of the mine bench facility area
on McClane Creek, downstream of the outlet of the buried diversion culvert. Culvert "H" routes
the flow of McClane Creek (an ephemeral stream) beneath a large haul road fill constructed
across the drainage.
At the time of the inspection, Culvert "D", a drop inlet with a large CMP riser structure attached,
was approximately''/z blocked by sediment at the inlet (see digital images 2267 and 2269). The
inlets of Culverts "E" and "H" were completely buried by sediment. Digital image 2265 shows a
segment of Culvert "E", the associated concrete inlet headwall, and the eroded slope adjacent to
the culvert. Digital image 2266 shows the sediment deposition at the Culvert "E" inlet, level with
the top of the concrete headwall. Image 2273 shows the Culvert "H" headwall; the inlet itself is
completely buried by sediment. Image 2275 is the outlet of Culvert "H", at the downstream foe of
the haul road fll across McClane Creek.
All of the various small natural tlrainages and ditches in the mine area showed evidence of
significant recent flow. Operator indicated that there had been rain at the site on the night of
October 18, and the rain gage at the mine office recorded % inch of precipitation. It was apparent
that some drainage maintenance and grading had been performed in the mine bench area
subsequent to the storm, notably in the immediate vicinity of upland diversion culvert "A", and
along the base of the cut slope behind the shop facility. Also, there appeared to have been some
sediment excavation from the sump area in the immediate vicinity of the Culvert D riser structure.
However, work had not been initiated to clean out the partially blocked inlet of Culvert "D", or to
excavate and restore the design functionality of Culverts "E" and "H". Rodney Head indicated
that he was not aware that the three culverts had been blocked by sediment resulting from the
storm event. Mine Manager Walter Whitledge was not present during the inspection; he had
apparently been in Kentucky on business and personal matters since prior to the storm.