2011-09-30_INSPECTION - C1981038 (2)

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September 20, 2011 C -19 81 -038 /Bowie No. 1 Mine JJD Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 2 Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 1 Page 4 of 7 three paved entrance roads to the unit train loadout were in good condition. RECLAMATION S UCCESS - Rule 4.15, Rule 3: The backfilled slopes at the East Mine showed no signs of slope stability problems, such as cracking or slumping. The roughened grading of those same slopes is working to prevent gullying and retain moisture. Some of the backf illed slopes had been recently reworked by roughening up the grading and, then, hydroseeded. There is a moderate cover of vegetation on the slopes that had not been reworked. The reclamation of the West Ridge waste pile and the old waste pile has been suc cessful. The two piles are stable and have a good vegetative cover. The reclamation work at the West Mine also appears to be successful, although the East Roatcap Creek four foot diameter culvert still needs to be removed and the stream channel reestablis hed. The backfilled and graded slopes appeared to be stable and the vegetative cover was fair to moderate. REVEGETATION – Rule 4.15 Vegetative Cover; Timing: Brock Bowles of the Division examined the vegetative cover at the East Mine. At the reclaimed utility bench, the species identified included, but were not limited to, wheat grasses, Indian rice grass, alfalfa, four wing salt brush, Wood’s rose, Lewis’ flax, Cicer milkvetch and sunflowers. There was a lot of prickly lettuce, some tumble mustard and Alysum, a little cheat grass and isolated occurrences of thistle. There was a large patch of Russian knapweed at the lower end of the road culvert that is above and to the northwest of the West Ridge waste pile. The knapweed, thistle and cheat grass need t o be attended to soon as they are on the Colorado Noxious Weed list. There also were areas of tamarisk at the East Mine just below pond no. 2 and between pond no. 1 and pond no. 2. The vegetative cover of the backfilled and graded slopes at the West Mine was fair to moderate. The vegetative cover was not uniform over the entire area. The facilities bench outslope at the unit train loadout had a good vegetative cover. The partially backfilled slopes and the flat area at the partially reclaimed highway coal stockpile area had a moderate cover of vegetation. SLIDES and DAMAGE - Rule 4.12: No indications of cracking or bulging were observed with any of the backfilled and graded slopes at the East Mine, West Mine and reclaimed run -of -mine coal stockpile area . SUPPORT FACILITIES - Rule 4.04: There were no problems with any of the remaining structures at the unit train loadout. There were no rail cars on site at the loadout or at the partially reclaimed highway coal stockpile area spur line. SIGNS AND MARKE RS – Rule 4.02: Surface disturbance markers were up around the disturbed areas at all of the Bowie No. 1 Mine sites. The two subsidence warning signs were up along Steven’s Gulch road just east of the well field area. Mine identification signs were up at all of the entrances and along the public roads where the permit boundary crosses