_INSPECTION - C1981022 (51) - 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 of the Elk Creek Mine conducted by Marcia Talvitie of the Colorado DRMS beginning at 8:30 a.m. on 09 June 2009. Jim Kiger represented the operator, Oxbow Mining LLC, during the inspection. The weather was cloudy and cool. Availability of Records • Records were made available for review at the OMLLC office. A completed DRMS Records Check Form is attached to this report. Signs and Markers • Surface Disturbance Markers, consisting of white PVC pipe sleeves over steel T-Posts, were visible at the top of slope above the Bear Creek Fansite, and a sign was posted identifying the topsoil stockpile. Roads • The surface of the Elk Creek Haul Road was damp; roadside ditches were in good condition. The Elk Creek Access Road was also damp, and the surface was well graded. • Bear Creek Canyon Road was dry and well graded. Hydrologic Balance • There has been recent work on the sumps in the Elk Creek haul road ditches - they have been excavated, and straw bales have been placed at the downstream side to filter the flow. The operator attempts to keep the sumps as deep as possible, without creating a safety hazard. • Elk Creek was dry at the time of the inspection, but the flow in Bear Creek was greater than what was observed during the May inspection (Figure 1). • Pond A was partially filled with water. • Pond B discharged in May. The operator will have Pond B mucked out later this summer. • The water level in Pond D was approximately 1 foot below the primary spillway. • The East Yard Pond holds a quantity of muddy water that has been hauled from the work occurring at the Bear Creek Fansite. The water is allowed to evaporate prior to the sediment being disposed of. • The pond at Substation No. 3 had a puddle of water in the bottom. • Ponds C, E, F and the Hubbard Creek Pond were dry. Support Facilities (Bear Creek Fansite) • Construction of the Bear Creek Fansite was still under way. Work inside the shaft was being accomplished by manually operated jackhammer (Figure 2) at the time of the inspection. There was approximately four feet more shaft to be excavated from the surface - downward. • The supporting crane had been moved to a slightly different location on the site, to avoid ground that had become softened by intermittent precipitation events. • A clean-air delivery system was in operation, blowing fresh air into the shaft for worker safety. • Since the previous inspection the operator has excavated large sumps and lined them with an impermeable liner (Figure 3). Water that is pumped from the excavation is retained in the Elk Creek Mine C-1981-022 09-Jun-2009 -1-