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March 8, 2012 C- 1980- 007/West Elk Mine JRS <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 />N - Availability of Records N - Reclamation Success <br />N - Backfill & Grading N - Revegetation <br />N - Excess Spoil and Dev. Waste N - Subsidence <br />N - Explosives R - Slides and Other Damage <br />N - Fish & Wildlife N - Support Facilities On -site <br />R - Hydrologic Balance N - Signs and Markers <br />R - Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan N - Support Facilities Not On -site <br />R - Other N - Special Categories Of Mining <br />R - Processing Waste N - Topsoil <br />COMMENTS <br />This was a partial inspection of the West Elk Mine conducted by Jim Stark of the Colorado Division of <br />Reclamation, Mining and Safety. Robin Schiro of Mountain Coal Company accompanied me on the inspection. <br />The mine was actively mining and shipping coal (a train was being loaded at the time of the inspection) and <br />producing and hauling refuse to the refuse pile. The weather was warm and sunny and the ground was mostly <br />covered with snow. <br />HYDROLOGIC BALANCE - Rule 4.05 Drainage Control 4.05.1, 4.05.2, 4.05.3; Siltation Structures 4.05.5, <br />4.05.6, Discharge Structures 4.05.7, 4.05.10; Diversions 4.05.4, Effluent Limits 4.05.2; Ground Water <br />Monitoring 4.05.13; Surface Water Monitoring 4.05.13; Drainage — Acid and Toxic Materials 4.05.8; <br />Impoundments 4.05.6, 4.05.9; Stream Buffer Zones 4.05.18: <br />- Pond MB -3 contained water approximately six inches below the dewatering pipe and approximately two feet <br />below the principal spillway and was not discharging at the time of the inspection. The embankment was well <br />vegetated and stable and no erosional problems were noted. <br />- The east cell of the RPE pond was almost full (from discharge from the French drain at the RPEE slide <br />mitigation area) and the west cell of the RPE pond was basically dry at the time of the inspection. There was no <br />discharge from the pond. Robin indicated that West Elk may move the water from the east cell to the west cell of <br />the pond to allow for more treatment capacity before it may discharge. The embankments were covered with <br />snow but appeared to be stable. <br />- Pond MB -5 contained a small amount of water in both cells but was not discharging at the time of the inspection. <br />West Elk does not yet have a pennitted outfall for this pond in their NPDES pen If the ponds fill the water will <br />need to be pumped to a different pond (possibly MB -3) and discharged there. The emergency spillway is an open, <br />riprapped channel. The spillway was stable. The ponds are basically incised ponds and they were stable at the <br />time of the inspection. <br />- The wastewater pond contained water approximately two inches below the outfall pipe and was not discharging <br />at the time of the inspection. The pond was stable and no erosional problems were noted. <br />Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 9 <br />Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 3 <br />Page 2 of 8 <br />