2012-03-13_INSPECTION - C1980007

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March 8, 2012 C- 1980- 007/West Elk Mine JRS HYDROLOGIC BALANCE (cont.) - Freshwater pond FW -1 contained water approximately three feet below the top. The mine has been drawing down this pond for use in mining - related activities. Pond FW -2 was full at the time of the inspection. Both pond embankments were covered with snow but appeared to be stable. - All of the roadside ditches along the mine entrance road, the Sylvester Gulch road and around the coal stockpile areas contained snow but appeared to be working as designed. There was visible flow in some of the ditches and no flow was observed outside of any of the ditches. - Pond SG -1 was covered with snow but appeared to contain water approximately five feet below the primary spillway. The pond was not discharging at the time of the inspection. The pond embankment appeared to be stable and no erosional problems were noted. - The mine water treatment ponds in Sylvester Gulch contained water approximately 10 feet below the top and were not discharging. The pond embankments were covered with snow but appeared to be stable. No erosional problems were noted. GENERAL MINE PLAN COMPLANCE: - The operator was mining in E -Seam in longwall panel LWE -3. They were at approximately cross -cut 45 (which has advanced from cross -cut 47 last inspection). The development mining was working in the panel LWE -4 headgate and was at approximately cross -cut 77 (which has advanced from cross -cut 70 last inspection). Development work in the panel LWE -5 headgate is still at approximately cross -cut 5. Finally, Mountain Coal has developed the south mains to the beginning of the panel LWE -6 headgate (which has not advanced since the last inspection). All of the mining and development was on the current operations map in the basement of the main office building. This information matches the mining sequence shown on approved Map 51 - E -Seam Projected Operations (last updated on 14 February 2011 with the approval of Technical Revision 124. PROCESSING WASTE /COAL MINE WASTE PILES — Rule 4.10 and 4.11 Drainage Control; Surface Stabilization; Placement: - The operator was moving refuse from the stockpile on the RPE and spreading and compacting it on the pile. There is still a very large pile of refuse stockpiled on the RPE that needs to be spread and compacted. The pile appears to be well graded, with positive drainage and no water pooling on the surface of the pile. The reclaimed outslopes of the pile were covered with snow but appeared to be stable, with no erosional problems noted. The perimeter ditches were clean and water was flowing in the ditches. - The operator was producing refuse and was hauling it to the RPEE with articulated trucks at the time of the inspection (they have been hauling refuse to the RPEE for approximately a week). They were end dumping the refuse in the hole that was excavated behind the colluvial fill. They are spreading and compacting this refuse with a D6 dozer which, based on size limitations, spreads the refuse in approximately six inch lifts. They are performing compaction testing as they go and, according to Mike Peacock, they are meeting all of their compaction requirements. The area was a little sloppy and muddy due to the melting snow and there was an excavator stuck in the refuse. The operator indicated that, once they got the excavator out, they would rework the top portion of the pile as necessary. The current underdrain for the pile goes approximately 25 feet up the drainage and will be extended farther up the drainage as more refuse is placed on the pile and the pile advances. Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 9 Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 3 Page 3 of 8