_INSPECTION - C1981041 ‎(37)‎

• Permit No: C1981041
• IBM Index Class Name: INSPECTION
• Doc Name: Inspection Report
• Inspection Date: 4/20/2010
• Email Name: MPB
• Email Name: SB1
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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 partial inspection of the Roadside Portals Mine conducted on April 20, 2010 by Mike
Boulay of the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety(DRMS) Grand Junction Field Office.
Weather conditions were sunny and warm and ground conditions were dry. Tonya Hammond of
Snowcap Coal Company was present during the entire inspection.
Prior to this inspection,we made arrangements to meet with Rudy Fontanari a landowner whose
property is within the Roadside Portals Coal Mine permit area in the vicinity of the North Decline area.
Mr. Fontanari has an active construction materials pit at this location within the coal mine permit
boundary. Travis Marshall of DRMS Grand Junction Field Office-Minerals program conducted a
joint inspection of the gravel pit operation. Tonya Hammond and I accompanied Mr. Fontanari and
Mr. Marshall during this inspection. We viewed two excavated areas where riprap and gravel have
been mined and a large area where flagstone is being stored. The inspection then proceeded down the
North Decline Road to view locations along the cut slope of the road where groundwater seeps and
some minor cracks have developed. Mr. Fontanari had previously voiced concerns about the seeps and
the cracks and that he believes surface cracks have developed on his property as a result of subsidence
from the Roadside Portals Mine, where the South Portal underground workings are located beneath
this area of his property. These locations have previously been described in the Coal Program
inspection report dated 1/26/09. The seeps appear to be the result of a small amount of groundwater
discharge that generally dries up in the summer and is not related to coal mine workings. The cracks
along the cut slope are in areas where Mr. Fontanari has widened the road which he uses as a haul road
for his construction materials operation. The cracks in the cut slope do not appear to be subsidence
related.
Tonya Hammond of SCC and I proceeded to the CRDA waste disposal sites and the North and South
Portal areas to complete this partial inspection. Diversions and perimeter ditches at the CRDA#1 and
#2 and at the North Portal area were stable and functional.
At the South Portal area, we inspected the large lay down area located to the east of the fruit stand and
warehouse. SCC was doing some general maintenance in this location. Two large ditches that flow to
Pond 8 were regraded and cleared of tumbleweeds. Brant Harrison landowner and operator of the
Kokopelli fruit stand intends to plant peach trees at the South Portal lay down area as an added feature
and attraction for the Kokopelli fruit stand operation. Mr. Harrison will begin planting peach trees in
approximately two weeks. No signs of erosion or instability were noted at any of the support facility
locations viewed during this inspection.