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III. COMMENTS - COMPLIANCE <br />Below are comments on the inspection. The comments include discussion of <br />observations made during the inspection. Comments also describe any enforcement <br />actions taken during the inspection and the facts or evidence supporting the <br />enforcement action. <br />This was a partial inspection conducted by Tom Kaldenbach and Byron Walker <br />of the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology. Byron is taking over from <br />Tom as lead specialist on the Foidel Creek Mine. Brian Watterson represented <br />the operator during the inspection of outlying areas. Dave Wallace <br />represented the operator during the inpection of the main surface facilities <br />area. With the operator's consent, this report was issued from the Denver <br />office. <br />Snow has melted from the site. The longwall operation was active on the <br />east end of panel 16 Right. <br />SIGNS AND MARKERS <br />Mine i.d. signs and topsoil markers were properly displayed at numerous <br />locations inspected, with the following exception: topsoil markers along <br />the Northern Mining District access road need maintenance. Signs have <br />fallen down some of the posts and signs are missing from a few of the <br />posts. <br />ROADS <br />Haul-roads, access-roads, and light-duty roads throughout the permit area <br />were in good condition. <br />Hydrologic Balance <br />Ditches - Ditches were in generally good shape throughout the surface <br />facilities area. Sediment has been removed from the ditch north of the <br />electrical shop. <br />.Mine water pumping - Records at the Fish Creek borehole show this site <br />has not been pumped since 2/8/09. Site 109 has not been pumped for many <br />months. <br />Impacts to Trout Creek - Before and after the inspection we measured the <br />electroconductivity (EC) at four locations in Trout Creek. The <br />measurements were made from county road bridges over a four-hour period. <br />As shown on the following map, EC downstream from all inputs from the <br />Foidel Creek Mine was 860 micromhos/cm, well below the material damage <br />suspect level of 1,000 micromhos/cm. Trout Creek was at 1,030 <br />micromhos/cm between Foidel Creek and Fish Creek (Site 69). This <br />exceedance of the 1,000 micromhoslcm, material damage suspect level was <br />not believed to be caused by the Foidel Creek Mine because the mine was <br />not pumping into Foidel Creek. Further downstream, Fish Creek was <br />diluting Foidel Creek. <br />3 <br />