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Mine Site Evaluation <br />Mine Name: West Elk <br />Permittee: Mountain Coal Co. <br />Operator: Arch Coal <br />Permit #: C -80 -007 <br />Permit Activity Status: AP <br />Inspection Date: May 25, 2011 <br />Inspection Type Code: Oversight Inspection — Partial <br />Weather Conditions: Mid 70's; Sunny <br />MSE Report Completion Date: 6/24/11 <br />OSM Inspector: Christy Hulsman <br />Joint- State /OSM Inspection: Yes X No <br />Other inspection participant(s): <br />Tom Kaldenbach — DRMS <br />Ryan Sweetwood — Environmental Engineer, MCC <br />Sarah Koontz — Environmental Intern, MCC <br />Inspection Narrative <br />The purpose of inspection was to evaluate Mountain Coal Co.'s West Elk Mine sediment pond MB -5E for <br />an Excellence in Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Award and to also conduct a partial oversight <br />inspection. The oversight inspection was conducted jointly by Tom Kaldenbach of the Colorado DRMS <br />and Christy Hulsman of OSM's Denver Field Division. West Elk is an active underground mine with a load <br />out and wash plant. The wash plant is new and is not fully on line yet. The mine is in the middle of a <br />longwall panel move; coal production is minimal. The operator's representative, Ryan Sweetwood, <br />stated that it had rained the day and night prior to the inspection. <br />Pond MB -5E is a dual celled sedimentation pond. The design is non - discharging. The embankments are <br />stable and the emergency spillway is a rip -rap design; it is clear of any debris and vegetation. The <br />adjacent Old Bear Mine No. 1 portal area is backfilled, stable and the vegetation is beginning to <br />establish. Signs for the Stream Buffer Zone are in place and no disturbance has occurred beyond it. <br />There is a two - celled, lined pond at the base of the Refuse Pile Expansion. The lower one was <br />discharging a small amount of water at CDPS outfall 015. DRMS recorded the following measurements: <br />pH 8.1, electrical conductivity 890 mmhos /cm, 21 degrees C. <br />Air Shaft 3 in Sylvester's Gulch has been constructed, but is not currently on line. The mine intends to <br />bring this shaft on line when they begin the process of sealing the "B" seam workings. <br />SG -1 pond, located in Sylvester's Gulch, was visually estimated to have a discharging flow of ^'20 gpm. <br />The outfall point is CDPS outfall 014. Pen pH measurements of the discharging water were measured to <br />have a pH of 9.1. The limitation for this point is pH 8.7. The operator's representative used a calibrated <br />portable meter to confirm the pH; that measurement was pH 9.2. The discharge was shut off at the <br />outfall location. The Colorado Water Quality Control Division was contacted by the operator's <br />representative to self -report the exceedance. The operator's representative believes that the <br />exceedance can be attributed to the recent rainfall and to the normal high pH of surface waters in the <br />surrounding undisturbed areas. The best management practices established around the pond and in the <br />