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North Thomson Creek Mine Phase III Bond Release, pg.2 The Middle Thompson Creel flumes were not inspected due to poor road conditions. I have evaluated these reclaimed flumes on previous inspections with no problems noted. Ground conditions were moist throughout the mine, but no surface runoff noted. North Thompson Creek had high spring flows. Mr. Kaldenbach began the field inspection at the developed water resource area where we all met and had our orientation. The access road and former haulroad segment in this area have been approved for permanent retention. Sediment pond 9 held water but was well below dischazge elevation. The pond appears stable. We walked to the reclaimed refuse pile and inspection participants observed three sinkholes on the upper end on the reclaimed pile. These sinkholes will need to be backfilled and reseeded. All other areas of the pile, and the reclaimed roadway and mine facilities inspected enroute to the pile were stable. Water was discharging from Mine No. 1 into the Long Pond (passive water treatment pond). Field parameters measured on site at the Mine No. 1 discharge indicated compliance with water quality standards. The long pond passively discharges into another treatment cell (Tl), and Tl passively discharges in a third treatment cell, T2. The dischazge from T2 flows downslope into N. Thompson Creek, and this discharge constituted the former outfall 001 for the NPDES discharge permit. The treatment ponds were full during the inspection. The Colorado Department of Health terminated the NPDES permit at the permittee's request on 04/20/2006, with an effective termination date of Mazch 2005. This discharge from T2 appeared to meet livestock watering standards based on Mr. Kaldenbach's field sampling, and there were no problems noted around the discharge location. The reclaimed Mine No. 1 portal backfill on the south side of N. Thompson Creek was inspected next and the water discharged from Mine No. 1 is included in the 4.3 acre developed water resource area. The backfill appears stable and the culvert access to the mine portal seals is secure and locked. We inspected the dischazge pipe from Mine No. 1 into the long pond; and noted that the adjacent Mine No. 3 discharge pipe was not flowing. Mr. Kaldenbach measured field parameters of the Mine No. 1 discharge and pH was 7.4. Mr. Kaldenbach reports other field pazameters in his inspection report. The Long Pond appeared stable and functioning as designed. I discussed the DRMS Abandoned Mined Land (AML) Program's peat-bog passive water treatment system just above this location with some of the inspection participants. Discharge from this passive treatment system enters N. Thompson Creek above the Long Pond. This system treats mine water discharge from the former (pre-SMCRA) Mine No. 2 that was reclaimed by the DRMS- AMLprogram. We next inspected the Mine No. 3 area. The water discharge system from Mine No. 3 to the Long Pond is included in the developed water resource post mining land use. There are two discharge pipes from the Mine No. 3 reclaimed portal that converge into a concrete manhole north and adjacent to the roadway.