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B. Access Roads <br />The West Elk Mine has three access roads which are considered access roads <br />only. These include the Sylvester Gulch Substation Access Road, the Portal <br />access road, and the Materials Storage Bench access road, which are shown on <br />Maps 53 and 53B. Access roads are properly certified. These certifications <br />are provided in Exhibit 8A of the permit document. A discussion of the <br />access roads can be found in Section 2.05.3 in Volume 1 of the permit <br />document. The designs are in compliance with Rules 2.05.3 and 4.03.2. <br />2. All of these roads will be reclaimed upon closure of the mine when the roads <br />are no longer necessary. <br />C. Light Use Roads <br />The West Elk Mine has numerous light-use roads at the site. They are <br />around the southern and eastern perimeter of MB-2R and around the <br />base of lower refuse pile, above the facilities area and on Jumbo <br />Mountain to access monitoring sites and the water tank, the Lone Pine <br />Gulch fan road and roads to the south for methane degas pads and the <br />"thermal event area." The designs, except for some preexisting roads, <br />are in compliance with Rules 2.05.3 and 4.03.3. <br />II. Support Facilities -Rule 4.04 <br />A. Construction of support facilities did not result in any damage to any protected <br />structures. Therefore, the Division proposes to approve those activities [4.04(6)]. <br />III. Hydrologic Balance -Rule 4.05 <br />A. Water Quality Standards and Effluent Limitations <br />1. There are eight sediment ponds and one freshwater pond at the West Elk Mine <br />that treat drainage from the disturbed area. These ponds function as designed <br />to ensure compliance with the water quality standards and effluent standards <br />specified in CDPS Permit No. CO-0038776. <br />2. The Division proposes to exempt specific small areas from the use of <br />sediment ponds for the following reasons: each area is of limited size, ponds <br />and treatment facilities are not necessary for drainage in each area to meet the <br />effluent limitations of Rule 4.05.2 and applicable State and Federal water <br />quality standards for receiving streams, and no mixing of surface drainage <br />with a discharge from underground workings will occur. The following areas <br />are exempted: the Sylvester Gulch fan site, the lay-down area between FW-1 <br />and MB-1, the Sylvester Gulch fan site, an area located downstream from the <br />MB-5 inlet, the 1.2 million gallon water tank, the area surrounding the raw <br />water intake gallery, the Shaft 3 area, the drill pads utilized at the "thermal <br />24 <br />