2011-09-16_INSPECTION - C1982057

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September 12, 2011 C -1982 -057 /Seneca II -W Mine SLB Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 5 Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 1 Page 4 of 10 Vegetation between T18 and the Ridgeline Road was visually/qualitatively observed. Cover was good - very few rills or gullies were observed . There was a variety of grasses (wildrye, fescue, wheatgrasses) and forbs and a good amount of sage (some 2 -3’ tall), rose, and chokecherry. Vegetation on the south end of the mining area was thinner and much weedier than in the north. There were sever al successful willow tubelings in the concentrated shrub planting area in the uppermost surge structure of channel PM -1A. Areas seeded this spring and summer along the Mine Entrance Haul Road and Road A have germinated. There appears to be a good success rate on grasses - ranging from 2 -6” tall. Nearly all of the Original Permit Area/North Area reclamation was being grazed by cattle. Weed spraying undertaken at the site earlier this summer appeared to have helped. The thistle population had been knocke d down somewhat, but remains a problem. The operator should continue to spray as late in the season as possible. A few areas that did not appear to have been sprayed were identified - see attached map. There were also heavy weeds in the immediate vicini ty of Pond 017 and Stock Pond T25 that did not appear to have been sprayed . SLIDES and DAMAGE - Rule 4.12: The two slumps above T18 have caused gullies where water has surfaced from within the slump. Ditches should be constructed to convey this water o ff of the slide areas and into T18; the ditches should either have rip rap or TRM liner installed. Work was continuing on the Pond 016A slide area. An excavator and truck were removing sediment from the south end of the pond, near the spillway to Pond 01 6. Sediment from the pond was being placed at the toe of the slope on the northwest side of PM -3, which runs northeast from the pond. The north end of 016A had been cleared of sediment and was being backfilled with material from below the shrub plot. Th e operator indicated that the area below the shrub plot was very wet; they were attempting to excavate low enough to find the source of the water so a drain could be constructed. A representative from NWCC, the geotechnical consultant for the area, was on site on September 13th. SIGNS AND MARKERS – Rule 4.02: The mine identification signs, permit boundary markers, topsoil stockpile markers, and stream buffer zone markers were all observed on site. TOPSOIL – Rule 4.06 Removal 4.06.2; Substitute Materia ls 4.06.4(4); Storage and Protection 4.06.3; Redistribution 4.06.4: Topsoil had been augmented in several bare areas along the Ridgeline Access Road, Light Use Road LU - 1and Roads J and K. Topsoil placement was complete along the reclaimed areas along th e Mine Entrance Haul Road and Road A. The operator indicated that all areas where topsoil has been distributed were seeded.