ENFORCE22471

• Permit No: C1980007
• IBM Index Class Name: Enforcement
• Doc Date: 3/7/1990
• Doc Name: OSM MINE SITE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT
• Violation No.: TD1990020244001TV1
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

INSPECTION REPORT
it was evident that i[ was occurring and that all was not being done
to divert water. Afternoon flows were restricted to the upper part
of the active disposal bench. The lover portion of that same bench
received none because of a break 1n the drainage. Water not being
directed into the diversions was flowing onto a flat on the active
waste disposal bench near the entrance. Some of it puddled on the
pile and rest flowed into the pile it self.through established drains,.
Evidence of that was noted when the area was surveyed. Water nn the
pile was ditched via truck operators towards the inslope where waste
joined the surface of the hillside. From there, it funneled to the
interior. Evidence of that vas noted because floes were not
accumulating 'but instead were dropping out of sight. I probed one of
the funnels w[th my boot and found no evident bottom. Further
evidence of ['he saturation was noted during the actual survey of the
area, where ever we toed in a reference point on the pile, the
surface was dry but inches below was always wet.
Interim construction phase cross sections of the waste disposal on
the active bench called for a two (21 percent grade towards the south
end/interior part of the pile where it meets ground. It appeared ae
though that w.ss the case on most of the pile. The pile is also to be
graded with positive drainage towards the west. This was not the case
on the day of the inspection. If it had been, much of the pooling
and perhaps even the inflow that was occurring might not have been
noticed. The western third of the bench was graded positively for
drainage but .s high spot separated the rest of the area. From the
high spot back towards the entrance to the waste disposal area, much
of the area was almost if not flat.
GENERAI, COMMENTS
Work underground is on a three shift basis but shipments of coal are
limited at this time according to company officials. Some coal i.s
stockpiled on the ground outside of the silos and in the old "borrow
area" on one of the upper benches but this is because of the quality
of material instead of overflow problem with storage. plans are in
the making for acquiring additional space for coal however, because
the company is inquiring about the possibility of buying the two
abandoned silos and rail facility just up the road from the mine [hat
were once part of the Western Slope Carbon property.
The exhaust fan in Sylvestor C.ulch was running during, the inspection
but one at the=_ main portal has been pulled and the other was down.
Page "i
No mine water discharge was noted at the permitted point in Sylvestor
Gulch. The s.=_diment ponds: MB-fi, MB-S, MR-4, MB-'l, MB-2, MR-l and
fresh water pond were inspected ._ Though the embankments wire _ _ _
snowcovered, they appeared to be stabile and the spillway systems
were function,sl. The small pond like structure around the pylons for
the river crossing beltline had some water in it but no problem was i
noted. Inflows from mi=-~ing activity and runoff was noted in several
of the ponds, ie, MB-2 and 3 but no discharge vas noted. The comment
was made by t'he state inspection team that the salt bush groving in
some of the spillways and drainages within the system had to be