INSPEC34972

• Permit No: C1980007
• IBM Index Class Name: Inspection
• Doc Name: Inspection Report
• Inspection Date: 2/13/2002
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

III. COMMENTS -COMPLIANCE
This was a complete inspection of the West Elk Mine conducted by Jim Burnell of CDMG on
Tuesday, February 13, 2002. The inspection was accompanied by Henry Barbe of
Mountain Coal Company. The weather was cold and partly cloudy. Active mining is going
on, although the minesite itself was relatively quiet. All methane degas drilling and
reclamation is in abeyance for the winter at the high elevations south of the mine facilities.
Mining has been proceeding very well. There is a large stockpile of coal growing.
The lower refuse pile (LRP} showed no signs of erosion or instability. The top of the pile is
still being utilized as a lay-down area because of the paucity of flat ground at the mine site.
Mountain Coal Company has been attempting to reline the shot-creted ditches on the slope
of the facilities area, after discussion with CDMG. Some of the ditches have been broken,
cracked, fragmented by mass movement of the slide mass. The effort hasn't been
successful to date because the ground and ditches are frozen on the north-facing slope.
Pond MB-3 was frozen over. The water level was 3 feet below the emergency spillway.
Pond MB-2R was also frozen over and the water level was 4 feet below emergency spillway.
Pond MB-1 was frozen over and the water level was >4 feet below the emergency spillway.
Pond SG-1 was frozen over and contained very little water.
The RPE (refuse pile expansion) site contained some fresh piles of waste material. Both
pond cells were frozen over with very low water level. MCC indicated that a technical
revision would be submitted this spring for a redesign of that waste pile area.
The road up Sylvester Gulch was in excellent condition. There was some water frozen in the
ditches,
The Sylvester Gulch substation area was in order. Snow covered the diversion ditch/french
drain around the substation area.
The shaft 3 area was in order, as was the shaft 1 and 2 area. Topsoil piles in Sylvester
Gulch were snow covered and showed no signs of instability.
The "failed fill" area appeared stable, with no erosion.
A large portion of the channel between the mine water pond discharge and the culvert near
the failed fill area has been rip rapped. The mine water pond was not discharging at the time
of the inspection. There was about 40 gpm water in Sylvester Gulch.
The slope below the Materials Storage Bench appeared stable and was not eroding.
The motor pool area was neat and orderly. The ditch there, also, needs cleaned out.
All mine signs are in place and correct.