2011-09-20_INSPECTION - C1981019

• Permit No: C1981019
• IBM Index Class Name: Inspection
• Doc Date: 9/20/2011
• Doc Name: Inspection Report
• From: DRMS
• To: Colowyo Coal Company
• Inspection Date: 9/20/2011
• Email Name: JHB
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

September 20, 2011 C- 1981 - 019 / Colowyo Coal Mine JHB
Inspection Topic Summary
NOTE: Y= Inspected N =Not Inspected R= Comments Noted V= Violation Issued NA =Not Applicable
R - Air Resource Protection
R - Availability of Records
R - Backfill & Grading
R - Excess Spoil and Dev. Waste
Y - Explosives
R - Fish & Wildlife
R - Hydrologic Balance
Y - Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan
R - Other
NA - Processing Waste
R -Roads
Y - Reclamation Success
R - Revegetation
NA - Subsidence
Y - Slides and Other Damage
Y - Support Facilities On -site
Y -Signs and Markers
NA - Support Facilities Not On -site
NA - Special Categories Of Mining
R - Topsoil
COMMENTS
This was a complete inspection conducted by Janet Bums of CDRMS. Mr. Chip Brown accompanied the
inspection. Mr. Tony Tennyson accompanied the inspection during the afternoon of 9/20. The weather was
sunny and dry. The mine is an active surface mine with two active pits; West Pit and South Taylor Pit. A
press release regarding sale of the mine was issued on 9/19/2011. The operator, Colowyo Coal Company L.P.
is not expected to change but the corporate parent will. CCC gave the inspector bond replacement forms to
carry to the Division for exploration permit CX- 2003 - 109 -09.
AIR RESOURCE PROTECTION — Rule 4.17:
Portions of the Main haul road were observed to be dusty on 9/20. Water trucks were spraying roadways
both 9/20 and 9/21. The coal storage pile at Gossard loadout became dusty during the inspection. An alarm was
sounded with operations and CCC personnel were resolving a blockage in the load out system.
AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS — Rule 5.02.4(1):
Records were checked in the environmental office. Checklist accompanies this report.
NPDES monitoring records for East Taylor pond show a marked increase in EC between July 14, 2011 (534 uS),
July 20, 2011 (549 uS), and July 26, 2011 (4357 uS), yet flow during this time frame remained relatively steady;
0.02 cfs to 0.07 cfs. No explanation regarding this increase in EC is recorded on the report sheets. The pond was
cleaned of sediment after the 7/26/2011 sample. The report dated August 15, 2011 shows 4451 uS, with a 0.07 cfs
dischrge, yet August 24, 2011 reports the EC as 4.61 uS, and 0.02 cfs. The Division questions whether this order
of magnitude variance is due to reporting error of the units. CCC needs to investigate the variances and explain
why there are drastic conductivity variances from week to week. These extreme fluctuations were not noted on
results from the WestTaylor pond, or Streeter pond during this same reporting period. East Taylor, West Taylor
and Streeter ponds were the only ponds with reportable discharge during the time period.
BACKFILL and GRADING — Rule 4.14
Contemporaneous Reclamation 4.14.1; Approximate Original Contour 4.14.2; Highwall Elimination
Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 1
Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 1
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