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MINE SITE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT Mt. Gunnison Mine GENERAL COMMENTS PAGE 6 A complete oversight inspection was conducted of the Mt. Gunnison Mine on November 18, 1982. Mr. Rocky Bowman, Environmental Coordinator for West Elk Coal Company, was present throughout the inspection. The Colo- rado Mined Land Reclamation Division (MLRD) was not represented during this inspection as a result of scheduling difficulties. Authorizations to operate were available for review in the administra- tion office at the mine. Permit number C-007-80 was issued on 7/31/81. NPDES final permit number CO-0038776, issued on 9/30/82, authorizes dis- charges to the North Fork of the Gunnison River. A~~egrding to the., `3ppsoved application, there will be no risk of material damage to the,-.<'- quantity and qualitp of water supplying the allavial valley floor iden- c '" tified on the North Folk. of the Gunnison River. The water monitoring plan was also reviewed. The approved post-mine land use is rangeland and wildlife habitat. Pond MB-1 has been certified to have been con- structed as designed; other pond certifications are pending. No prime farmland designations apply to the permitted area. Blasting is not con- ducted to facilitate coal removal. Federal leases numbered D-044569, CO-7192, and C-1362 include 1,381.75 acres, 1,243.49 acres, and 4,836.36 acres, respectively. Construction of numerous facilities at the mine was nearing completion and coal was being actively removed. Approximately 1,000 tons per day were being mined in two shifts for a monthly production level of approx- imately 20,000 tons. Peak production capacity is estimated at 2.87 mil- lion tons per year with a workforce of 450. The entire surface disturbed area, including the adjacent load-out, was inspected. Identification signs were properly displayed. Perimeter markers were in place around the permitted area. A ten-acre staging area immediately east of pond MB-2 and permitted by West Elk Coal Com- pany was being used for equipment storage and repair by the State High- way Department during the relocation of a segment of Route 133. The re- located segment will be contiguous with the lower part of the mine area. Concerns were expressed for the possible degradation of surface drainage control measures as a result of the road relocation. Such measures consisted of a small impoundment at the northwest corner of the ten-acre area and a series of berms. West Elk Coal Company is in the process of submitting a permit revision to the MLRD that would release the company from liabilities which may be incurred through the construc- tion disturbances. The company will remain responsible for surface drainage control in this area until such a revision is actually approved and becomes effective, however. A section on the eastern end of the staging area had been topsoiled and hydroseeded to stabilize those areas unaffected by current construction operations.