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,1. 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 />East Mine <br />The East Mine is the original site for the Bowie No. 1 Mine and was constructed in 1975. <br />The facilities for the East Mine aze situated on a series of benches, the lowest of which is <br />just above the West Ridge waste pile. The lowest bench is the crusher/screener bench <br />where the coal was crushed, screened and loaded into haul trucks for transport to the train <br />loadout. Also at this level were the sewage treatment facility and the haul truck fuel. <br />facility.-Above the crusher/screener bench is the shop bench. The main shop, wazehouse, <br />tire shop, coal surge bin and the temporary coal waste stockpile were located on this <br />bench. The transfer bench is above the shop bench and contained the conveyor belt <br />transfer building. Above the transfer bench is the electrical substation bench. The next <br />level higher is the office bench where the office, mine portals, bathhouse, rock dust <br />building, master control center building, solid waste disposal bin and the fuel station were <br />located. The uppermost level is the fan bench where two vent fan shafts and two water <br />tanks aze located. <br />East Mine -West Ridge Waste Pile <br />At the West Ridge waste pile, BRL requested bond release for 1) compaction, 2) fmal <br />grading and 3) four feet of cover. The West Ridge waste pile is primarily on land <br />managed by the BLM. At the time of this inspection, it was not known if the northern <br />portion of the West Ridge waste pile was on land owned by Mr. Pavlisick. A small <br />northem section of the waste pile has not been completed yet so any bond release <br />involving the waste pile will not be 100 percent. <br />Proper compaction of the waste pile has been documented with the submittal of quarterly <br />certified engineers' reports. Compaction of coal waste was documented from 1983, when <br />the refuse pile was constructed, through 2001, when the last of the compaction on the <br />refuse pile took place. Compaction did not take place every quarter. If the placed refuse <br />was compacted during that quarter, the engineer's report included the results of the <br />compaction testing. If compaction was tested and found to be unacceptable, the refuse <br />was reworked, re-compacted and re-tested. The reports document that the refuse was <br />placed and compacted in 24 inch high lifts and that the fmal compaction achieved at least <br />90 percent'of the maximum standazd dry density. <br />The fmal grading as-built configuration was verified in an OSM Special Focus Oversight <br />inspection held on August 19, 1997. The field inspection showed that the final grading of <br />the refuse pile was in close agreement with the requirements approved in the permit <br />application. The two lifts were slightly less than the required maximum lift height of 50 <br />