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MINE Ill # OR PROSPECT1iVG ID#: M-1977-300 INSPECTION DATE: 8-10-00 PAGE: 3 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: ACS Rock/Metal Mining Rules and Regulations of the Mined Land Reclamation Board. Essentially, the utility lines must have a beneficial post mining land use; otherwise they must be removed as a component of the site reclamation. To demonstrate a beneficial post mining land use, documentation most be provided stating the nature of the ongoing need for the lines. This documentation should be a letter from the utility company that will be respcnsible for the ongoing use and maintenance of any lines that will remain. Inspection location no. 3: We proceeded up the access road to t:he location of 'the exhaust borehole. An infestation of knapweed was observed along the road shoulders. Knapweed must be controlled before an Operator may request release of reclamation responsibility. Knapweed must also be controlled at all times if the infestation becomes severe enough to constitute a seed source for the spread of the noxious weed. The Division r~=_commends that Cotter contact the local weed control district official ~~r the county extension service for advice on a weed management plan. Kn~~pweed will be monitored during future inspections, and a technical revision to incorporate a weed cgntrol plan may be required under the Mined Land Reclamation Board's weed policy adopted July 29, 1998. However, a technical revision will not be required at this time due to the limited extent of the infestation observed. The exhaust borehole location was inspected. The site of the borehole is relatively inaccessible and is secured against all but the most determined trespassers. Radiation warning signs are posted at the borehole. A plan for a cast in place seal is approved in the reclamation permit. This plan specifies hanging the concrete forms iri the borehole. Cotter personnel stated that this plan is being reconsidered and that a pol~,~urethane foam (PUF) seal may be proposed. A revised borehole plugging plan would require a technical revision to the permit. Given the success that the Division's Inactive Mine Program has had using PUF, Cotter is encouraged to investigate the feasibility for its use. A discussion was also held about the potential to use precast panels to finish the closure above a cured F'UF plug. The competence of the concrete borehole collar and the near surface bedrock exposed in the borehole would have to be evaluated as a foundation for the installation of precast panels. Inspection location no. 4: An exploration drill road proceeds downhill from the exhaust borehole to the west and south. This road has been backfilled and rough graded. Cotter has done an exemplary job in backfilling this road to create a natural appearing landform and a surface that will provide a good environment for the establishment of vegetation. The only criticism the Division has is that the road was not seeded immediately following grading. In an ideal situation, grading jobs are completed just before the preferred seeding time in the fall of the year. In any case regraded areas should be seeded in the first seeding season, be it spring or fall, following the dirt work. The Division recommends broadcast seeding of the backfilled road this fall with the seed mix approved in the permit.