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September 10, 1996 <br />Western Fuels-Colorado <br />P.O. Box 628 <br />Nucla, CO 81424 <br />New Horizon Mine No. 2 <br />Special Focus Inspection <br />Participants: <br />Ross Gubka, Western Fuels <br />Tod Lefevre, " <br />Harry Ranney, DMG <br />Henry Austin, OSM <br />I participated in a Special Focus inspection intended to evaluate contemporaneous reclamation at <br />the mine. This topic was jointly selected by the Colorado oversight team for evaluation during the <br />1996 evaluation year. Weather conditions were warm and dry during the inspection and ground <br />conditions were dry mine wide. Steady rains began the evening of 9/10 and lasted through the <br />next day. <br />Evaluation criteria used during the inspection included the six regulatory criteria provided by <br />DMG for use in contemporaneous reclamation determination; the approved permit including the <br />bonding calculations; a 4/23/96 Coal Bond Compliance Inspection Form; an aerial photo of the <br />site taken by DMG during August 1996; on site observations which were photographed during <br />the inspection; and finally the permittee provided a copy of the Phase 7 Topsoiling map dated <br />9/10/96 which documents the proposed topsoil handling for the 1996 fall reclamation schedule. <br />We began the inspection with field observations of the active mining areas including the pit, <br />topsoil removal area, and topsoil replacement area. The permittee was replacing lift 1 & 2 topsoil <br />during the inspection. The permittee had already replaced a minimum of 48" of suitable subsoil on <br />final graded spoil before replacement of 18" of topsoiUapproved topsoil substitute material (lift 1= <br />6" topsoil, lift 2=12" topsoiUtopsoil substitute). Although this inspection did not evaluate the <br />approved topsoil handling plan in detail, the depths noted here have been approved in the permit <br />for replacement required on irrigated cropland posturing land use areas. This is a truck/shovel <br />mining operation and the permittee has exceeded the 48" subsoil replacement in most areas. <br />Subsoil replacement was completed to within 50 to 75 feet of the pit and this distance allowed for <br />a haulageJpit access road. Topsoil will be replaced and seeded this fall on all subsoiled areas. We <br />calculated the roadway to be approximately 4 acres which would not be reclaimed this year. The <br />permittee basically reclaims maximum annual disturbance each year with the exception of the open <br />pit and associated haulage/pit access roadways. The 1995 Annual Reclamation Report indicated <br />44.8 acres disturbed; 43.4 acres backfilled/graded and 43.4 acres topsoiled during calender 1995. <br />The majority of the 1995 topsoil replacement was seeded during the Spring of 1996 as last years <br />topsoiling effort extended into December, past the appropriate fall seeding season. <br />New Horizon Mine No. 2; pg. 2 <br />