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SNOWCAP COAL COMPANY <br />South Portal <br />Roadside Refuse Disposal Area Inspection - 3'' Quarter 2002 <br />On September 17, 2002, 1 performed the required quarterly visual inspection of the <br />Roadside Refuse Disposal Area in accordance with Rule 4.10.2. <br />I, J. E. Stover, P.E., have a wide variety of experience in the design and construction of <br />earth fill embankments. Nothing was observed during the inspection that would indicate <br />the pile has a potential for failure. The pile was dry. There is an erosional feature that <br />was noted on September 8`". It is located on the face of the second bench of the north <br />facing slope. The erosion feature is unusual because it originates at mid slope. An <br />ahimal burrow was located near the top of the feature and the cover material immediately <br />to the west was stained grey. <br />Investigation of this erosional feature involved hand excavation of the animal burrow <br />approximately 30-feet to the west. The animal burrow stayed in the dry powdery material <br />which indicates it was not the conduit for water flow. At the end of the hand excavation, <br />the animal burrow was about 1-inch in diameter and it tilted at a sharp angle down toward <br />the refuse material. The soil in the area was damp about 6-inches deep. The most <br />unusual discovery was a black veneer coating of the soil horizon exposed immediately <br />above the erosional feature. My theory regarding the cause of the erosional feature is <br />that flow occurred at the interface of the refuse and soil cover. The water surfaced at a <br />weak point, possibly caused by the animal burrow. The water contained fine refuse <br />particles which caused the grey stain and black veneer coating. I do not know the source <br />of the water. There is no indication of significant seepage on the bench above. I believe <br />there is a good chance that subsequent precipitation events will seal off the source of <br />water. The erosional feature was not repaired but left open for further observation. A <br />significant storm event occurred on September 29`". On October 151, I inspected the <br />erosional feature. There was no indication of additional subsurface flow. <br />The contractor competed covering the outslopes of the pile during the previous quarter. <br />The cover material needs to be shaped and slightly roughened. Installation of the upper <br />diversion ditch was completed during the quarter. The design of the upper diversion ditch <br />is located at Volume 5, Appendix 14-6, beginning on page 14-6-1. Segment A of the <br />upper diversion ditch is a trapezoidal channel with a 3-foot wide bottom, 3% grade and <br />3.32 feet deep with freeboard. There is one section of this as-built ditch segment that <br />has a grade of 1.5% and numerous sections of the ditch that are only 2-feet deep. I <br />