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!ASPECTION REPORT ebruary 21-22, 1990 -lest Elk Coal Co ~'0 Box 59l ;omerset, Colorado Nt Gunnison 111 mine Ground and Weather Conditions at the Mine during the Inspection: Snow covered with three to six inches with melt occurring in the afternoon; cool, overcast and clearing during the day Personnel Present During the Inspection: Dennis Conn: West Elk Coal Co Kathleen Welt: West EIk Coal Co Cathy Begay: Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Division (CLMRD) Jeff Clap[on: CLMRD Cary Fritz: OSM, Albuquerque Field Office, 11244 ENFORCEMENT ACTION Ten Day Notice(TDN) ll 90-02-244-1, violation 1 of l was issued to the State of Colorado following this inspection because of the operators failure to maintain drainage systems that divert surface water runoff from the area above the fill (coal processing waste) into stabilized diversion channels. There were three different areas noted during the inspection that were not draining Into the diversions built around the perimeter of the pile: 1. the interface between the 70 foot resoiled bench berm end the waste; 2. lower section of the l00 year diversion (inside bar ditch) next to [he haul road access point into the active waste pile; 3. Sylvestor gulch road. Page 1 A new section has been opened on the upper side, immediately adjacent to the existing pile of the existing waste disposal area on the lower bench for additional waste disposal. During this interim the operator is restricted to a relatively small area for disposal. They intend to fill in the gap between the existing pile and virgin ground eventually bringing the waste up level with the grade of the outer pile. From there, they will bring up the whole pile on horizontal lifts and put in benches at levels approved in their design. The lower pile has been brought up beyond the first bench, with the outer slopes on the bench graded, topsoiled and reclaimed. The top of the bench, a 70 foot wide surface is graded slightly to the inside all ~ the along the vidt-i~ of the bench and is then graded to drain that runoff back from the center of the outer perimeter towards the southern end of the pile where it is to be directed Into the 100 year diversions. It has been graded to drain, resoiled with a subsoil