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September 23, 2010 C-1981-019/Colowyo Coal Mine JRS <br /> <br />Inspection Topic Summary <br />NOTE: Y=Inspected N=Not Inspected R=Comments Noted V=Violation Issued NA=Not Applicable <br />N - Air Resource Protection R - Roads <br />R - Availability of Records N - Reclamation Success <br />R - Backfill & Grading N - Revegetation <br />R - Excess Spoil and Dev. Waste N - Subsidence <br />N - Explosives N - Slides and Other Damage <br />N - Fish & Wildlife N - Support Facilities On-site <br />R - Hydrologic Balance N - Signs and Markers <br />N - Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan N - Support Facilities Not On-site <br />N - Other N - Special Categories Of Mining <br />N - Processing Waste R - Topsoil <br />COMMENTS <br />This was a complete inspection of the Colowyo Mine conducted on 23 September 2010 and the afternoon of 28 <br />September 2010 by Jim Stark of the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety. Ryan Pawlowski <br />accompanied me on 23 September 2010 and Matt Guptill and Ryan Pawlowski accompanied me on 28 September <br />2010. In addition, there was a meeting regarding Technical Revision 84 (aspen and tall mountain shrub planting <br />areas) on 28 September 2010, as described in "Other" below. The weather during the inspection was warm and <br />sunny and the ground was dry. <br />AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS - Rule 5.02.4(1): <br />- All of the required records were in the records room in the office building at the Colowyo Mine. Please see the <br />"availability of Records" form at the end of this inspection report. <br />BACKFILL and GRADING - Rule 4.14 Contemporaneous Reclamation 4.14.1; Approximate Original Contour <br />4.14.2; Highwall Elimination 4.14.1(2)(f); Steep Slopes 4.14.2, 4.27; Handling of Acid and Toxic Materials <br />4.14.3; Stabilization of Rills and Gullies 4.14.6: <br />- Colowyo has completed 122 acres of backfilling and grading in the West Pit to date. This B&G includes the <br />35.6 acres that were regraded in 2007 (and not topsoiled). Colowyo is still working on a small area of B&G to the <br />south of the 2010 reclamation block that will encompass approximately five acres. Once this area is regraded <br />Colowyo plans on replacing topsoil in this area as well and reseeding it this year. <br />- Colowyo has started to push some of the dirt for the 2010 reclamation block in the East Pit as well. The work, at <br />this point, was very preliminary and none of the approximately 36 acres required has been returned to AOC at this <br />point. <br />- The 2009 West Pit reclamation area remains stable. There was an area that had shown some highwall <br />cracking/slumping in the previous months. These areas have been repaired and they have remained stable to date. <br />Colowyo will need to continue to monitor these areas as well as the adjacent areas in the 2010 reclamation block <br />and fix any cracking, settling and/or slumping immediately. <br />Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 4 <br />Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 1 <br />Page 2 of 14