_INSPECTION - C1980007 (53) - Laserfiche WebLink

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III. COMMENTS -COMPLIANCE Below are comments on the inspection. The comments include discussion of observations made during the inspection. Comments also describe any enforcement actions taken during the inspection and the facts or evidence supporting the enforcement action. This was a complete inspection conducted by Kent Gorham of the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety (Division). The West Elk mine is an active underground mine. Ground conditions were wet and the weather was about 50 degrees with light rain occurring sporadically. The inspection began at the mine office with Henry Barbe and Ryan Sweetwood of Mountain Coal Company. Availability of Records The public copy of the mine records is kept at the mine environmental office. All required records were found in compliance and as detailed on page 2a of this report. Roads Roads in the facility area were found in good condition. Many of the roads are paved and many that are not paved have concrete road ditches due to steep slopes in the facility area. Much of the road runoff reports to sediment ponds due to the complexity of the surface drainage system. Roads in outlying areas such as Sylvester Gulch and the Deer Creek shaft and monument Dam area were found in good condition. Road surfacing is excellent due to the need to access these areas on a year-round basis. Hydrologic Balance All ponds with the exception of RPE-B were holding water but the operator was not discharging water at any location. All ponds are manually discharged and s+" sampled when discharged. Most ponds are lined to prevent "" infiltration of water retained in the pond during treatment. The operator has hired Tetra Tech to conduct an audit of the surface drainage system. Shown at right are the two cells of pond MB-1. 3