2012-02-07_INSPECTION - C1981008

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February 1, 2012 C -1981 -008 /New Horizon Mine MLT Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 7 Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 2 Page 3 of 6 HYDROLOGIC BALANCE - Rule 4.05 Drainage Control 4.05.1, 4.05.2, 4.05.3; Siltation Structures 4.05.5, 4.05.6; Discharge Structures 4.05.7, 4 .05.10; Diversions 4.05.4; Effluent Limits 4.05.2; Ground Water Monitoring 4.05.13; Surface Water Monitoring 4.05.13; Drainage – Acid and Toxic Materials 4.05.8; Impoundments 4.05.6, 4.05.9; Stream Buffer Zones 4.05.18:  Much of the surface of Pond 007 was frozen, and only a few ducks were utilizing the thawed portion. Fewer water fowl are using the pond this year; this may be due to the pond’s water level being lower than in previous years.  Pond 009 was dry, and the floor of Pond 011 was nearly so.  At Pon d 013, numerous ducks were taking advantage of the unfrozen water surface. This pond receives a more or less continual inflow of water that is pumped from the floor of the active pit. The pond also discharges on a continual basis to Tuttle Draw.  A drill rig was stationed on the northeast corner of the Burbridge farmstead, just outside the mine permit boundary. Mr. Fry said that the landowner is drilling a water well. GENERAL MINE PLAN COMPLANCE:  Western Fuels completed blasting the Morgan portion of the present cut on the preceding day, Jan. 31. During this inspection, the drill rig was active, drilling a pattern of holes into the “Bench 2” overburden on the WFC parcel. RECLAMATION SUCCESS - Rule 4.15, Rule 3:  During the Jan. 11, 2012 inspection, cattl e were seen grazing on the Benson -East parcel. Those cattle were no longer on the property during the current inspection. However, we did observe what appeared to be piles of cow manure scattered across the adjacent Richards parcel, which has an approved post mining land use of Dryland Pasture. I asked Mr. Fry about the manure, and he said that some of Richards’ cattle from an adjoining parcel he (Richards) owns , outside of the permit area , made their way onto the reclaimed area through a “hole in the fen ce”. He said this seems to “happen” nearly every year . Western Fuels contacted Mr. Richards, and had him remove his cattle from the permit area. REVEGETATION – Rule 4.15 Vegetative Cover; Timing:  No livestock were grazing the Irrigated Pasture Reference Area.  Cattle (owned by Weimer) were grazing on the Staats parcel south of 5th Road. These cattle have the freedom to cross into and out of the permit area by crossing Calamity Draw.  Cattle owned by Burbridge were grazing on the Burbridge and San Miguel P ower parcels. Temporary fencing prohibited them from moving onto the Benson -South field (which is now owned by Staats).  Mr. Fry said that aerial seeding of forage kochia was conducted on the dryland pasture areas on January 18, 2012. They used plane and pilot based o ut of Olathe, Colorado, a town located 40 miles NE of Nucla.