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-3- <br />Further, the waste disposal pile will be constructed with granular <br />underdrains, designed to prevent saturation or invasion of water into the <br />waste pile. These five underdrains have been appropriately sized to ensure <br />that the pile will not become saturated. <br />West Elk Coal Company proposes to monitor both the ground water saturation <br />beneath and within the pile, in order to ensure that the pile remains dry. <br />The operator also agreed to install several survey monuments to monitor slope <br />stability of the completed structure and adjoining areas. <br />The original permit includes a statement of intended possible secondary mining <br />of coal beneath the coal pile. In order to assure the assumptions made in <br />completing the stability analysis are correct, the Division believes it <br />appropriate to impose the following stipulation upon approval of this permit <br />revision. <br />Stipulation No. <br />THE DIVISION DIRECTS WEST ELK COAL COMPANY, PRIOR TO ANY DISTURBANCE AT THE <br />WASTE PILE SITE, TO SUBMIT AN APPROPRIATE AMENDMENT TO THE OPERATION PLAN <br />WITHIN THE EXISTING PERMIT TO LIMIT EXTRACTION BENEATH THE WASTE PILE TO <br />PRIMARY DEVELOPMENT ONLY. NO SECONDARY EXTRACTION SHALL BE ALLOWED BENEATH <br />THE PILE OR THE IMMEDIATELY ADJOINING AREA. <br />During the past several years slope instability has occurred in the surficial <br />deposits above the portals of the Mt. Gunnison No. 1 Mine. The area effected <br />lies downslope from the toe of the proposed pile. Because of this evidence of <br />surficial instability adjoining the proposed pile area, the Division desires <br />additional surface monument at ion and stability monitoring. For this reason, <br />the Division believes it appropriate to impose the following stipulation upon <br />approval of the permit revision application. <br />Stipulation No. <br />THE DIVISION DIRECTS WEST ELK COAL COMPANY, PRIOR TO ANY DISTURBANCE AT THE <br />UPPER WASTE SITE, TO INSTALL SEVERAL ELECTRONIC TILT METER TUBES DOWNSLOPE <br />FROM THE TOE OF THE PROPOSED WASTE STRUCTURE. WITHIN 30 DAYS FOLLOWING <br />APPROVAL OF PERMIT REVISION APPLICATION, WEST ELK COAL COMPANY SHALL SUBMIT TO <br />THE DIVISION A PLAN FOR THE INSTALLATION OF THE TILT METER FACILITIES. THESE <br />TILT METER INSTALLATIONS SHALL OCCUR IN THE VICINITY OF MONUMENTS S1 AND S2, <br />AS INDICATED ON DRAWING N0. MG-R C-001, INCLUDED IN THE PERMIT REVISION <br />APPLICATION. DURING THE INSTALLATION OF THESE TILT METER TUBES, THE OPERATOR <br />SHALL AUGER AND LOG THE SURFICIAL AND BEDROCK STATIGRAPHY ENCOUNTERED. <br />AUGERING SHALL CONTINUE UNTIL THE OPERATOR HAS ESTABLISHED INTACT BEDROCK <br />OCCURRENCE. IF ANY EVIDENCE OF EXISTING LANDSLIDE DEPOSITS IS ENCOUNTERED, <br />THE OPERATOR SHALL DEFINE THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF THE PRE-EXISTING SLOPE <br />INSTABILITY. IF SUCH LANDSLIDE ACTIVITY IS DISCERNED, THE OPERATOR WILL BE <br />REQUIRED TO APPROPRIATELY RECONFIGURE THE PILE DESIGN, PRIOR TO INITIATION OF <br />ANY CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY. <br />