2009-07-29_INSPECTION - M1977247

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ORIGINAL - PUBLIC FILE (Page 2) MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID #: M-1977-9d7 INSPECTION DATE: 7/93409 INSPECTORS INITIALS: - R1( OBSERVATIONS The Division conducted a monitoring inspection of the site as part of sites to be inspected during the fiscal years 2009-2010.The site is a 100 acre gypsum quarry located approximately % mile south of Coaldale, Colorado. Site was not active at the time of inspection with the exception of processed gypsum removal from already stockpiled material. A Langston Trucking Company haul trucks were hauling material from the pile at the time of the inspection. Permit sign was posted at the access to the property. Mr. Robert Dinning, a Langston haul truck driver requested that I provide him a picture ID to verify the name on my business card, which I did prior to accessing the site. He stated that Langston Trucking was a sub-contractor for the mine. He also stated that another haul truck driver was on site loading the trucks and allowed me access. The site had been mined since the early 60s until it was permitted in 1977. The area includes many acres of per- law disturbance. Until 2007, the site had been in Temporary cessation. In 2007, the operator submitted an amendment to modify the mining and reclamation plan and commence mining. The MLRD BOARD approved the amendment over objections on 10/19/2007 and set the financial warranty at $707,000.00.The Board approved amendment had the following conditions. 1) The operator will construct all fuel storage areas in a lined surface and the lined surface must have the capacity to handle the leakage from the largest container. 2) All mining activity has to stay 100 feet above the water table as measured in the quarry industrial well bore. 3) The operator will blast monitor each quarry with a minimum of one seismograph between the location of the blast and the nearest potentially affected building or structure. The entire permit area was driven and inspected. A small front end loader and an excavator was noted north of the stockpile, where the haul trucks were loading the material. A screen and a small conveyer apparatus was also noted along the south side of the gypsum processed stockpile area. Along the south east side of the stock pile area, there appears to be approximately 5-6 acres of affected land that had been graded and seeded. Some grass growth was noted at the time of the inspection. Inspected the active pit areas. Both the upper and lower pits were not active at the time of the inspection. Four haul trucks, and two dozers were parked along the base of the pit. Pit high wall were stable. Adequate berms were in place around the pit area to protect drainage from leaving the pit floor. Inspected what appeared to reclaimed pit slopes, they were generally stable with minimum vegetation cover. Inspected the shop area. A small trailer was parked above the shop and office area. According to Mr. Larry Ford, the other haul truck driver for Langston trucking, said no one was living in the trailer. Another new excavator was also noted parked along the shop and office area. The large storage tank noted south west of the Shop building according to Larry did not contain any fuel but was a Mag. chloride container that was used to control dust from the haul roads. Since the site was pre law disturbed, it is very important for Holcium to place appropriate boundary markers to delineate the permit boundary and maximum affected boundary. It was difficult to find the permit boundary markers. The division understands that, given the fact that the site had been mined pre- law, makes it even harder locating the markers. Since the Division found the warranty for the site to be adequate, no additional warranty is needed at this time. However, the Division reminds the operator of the three conditions of the amendment approval and asks the operator to keep on file the blast monitor and make sure depth of mining and fuel storage areas are in accordance with the Board approved conditions.