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III. COMMENTS -COMPLIANCE <br />Below are comments on the inspection. The comments include discussion of observations made <br />during the inspection. Comments also describe any enforcement actions taken during the inspection <br />and the facts or evidence supporting the enforcement action. <br />This was a partial inspection of the Yoast Mine conducted on July 18 and July 19, 2007 by Mike <br />Boulay of the DRMS. On July 18`" I met with John Maneotis who is a sheep rancher and <br />property owner adjacent to the Yoast Mine. Mr. Maneotis did not request an inspection of his <br />property but did arrange to meet with me to discuss some concerns he had regarding the Yoast <br />Haul Road A and the deadhead route where the 650 dragline was walked across a portion of his <br />property in 1996. It was necessary to access Mr. Maneotis's property in order to clear the 650 <br />dragline beneath the PSCo/WAPA power lines that cross Haul Road A. The deadhead route to <br />walk under the power lines was reclaimed shortly after the deadhead route was utilized. The <br />deadhead route was permitted and is described in detail in Attachment 13-10 of the permit <br />document. Roy Karo of Seneca Coa] Company was present on July 19`h during afollow-up <br />inspection of the locations that Mr. Maneotis had concerns with. Weather conditions were sunny <br />and hot on both days of the inspection. Ground conditions throughout the mine site were dry. <br />On July 18, the DRMS and Mr. Maneotis met at the west side of the permit area along Haul <br />Road A and proceeded to the reclaimed drainage and the area that was disturbed when the <br />dragline was walked across the Maneotis property. Mr. Maneotis expressed concern with the <br />water that has backed up in the reclaimed drainage because his sheep can become stuck in the <br />mud and stagnant pool caused by the silted in drainage. According to Mr. Maneotis the drainage <br />is ephemeral and only flows during spring runoff or as a result of heavy precipitation. Based on <br />the inspection it is evident that the drainage no longer flows properly due to a too shallow Bade <br />and sedimentation in the mid-section of the drainage channel. A photograph of the channel <br />showing the backed up water is provided in Photo No. 1 at the end of this report. The sediment <br />deposition can also be seen at the center of the photograph. <br />As part of the permitting process a reclaimed drainage channel design was approved by the <br />DRMS and is provided in Addendum 13-1 OB of the permit document. The design is for a <br />trapezoidal channel with a mild slope design and D50 riprap of 9 inch. The channel has been <br />inspected numerous times over the past several years as apart of routine inspections of the Yoast <br />Mine and at one point additional riprap and rock check dams were installed along the drainage to <br />control erosion and stabilize the channel. It is evident based on this inspection that the mild <br />slope (1 %) channel design is not appropriate for this drainage. Water is backing up where it is <br />not intended and farther down slope the riprap that was placed is eroding and the channel is <br />skirting around the riprap causing bank erosion. Photo No. 2 shows the location of a rock check <br />dam and an area where bank erosion is occurring. Farther down slope is aloes-water crossing <br />used to gain access to the other side of the reclaimed drainage. <br />