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Refuse Pile north pond (009) and Rock Tunnel Entry pond (025) were <br /> frequently monitored, as snow pack receded. The upper Sutey pond <br /> experienced a blockage of the primary spillway on at least two <br /> occasions, causing it to dewater through the emergency spillway. <br /> Resources was notified of the problem, and responded by removing <br /> the blockage with a backhoe. The upper Old Refuse Pile pond (001) <br /> and the Old Refuse Pile north pond (009) also experienced frequent <br /> blockages of the primary spillways. These spillways were <br /> accessible without equipment, and blockages were removed as they <br /> were observed. <br /> The Rock Tunnel is designed to discharge from the north entry, <br /> however it experienced a failure behind the block walls, causing <br /> the mine water to discharge from both the north and south entries. <br /> A slope failure just outside the north entry caused the mine water <br /> discharge pipe to be blocked, so the mine water discharged from the <br /> entries across the Rock Tunnel Yard to the adjacent pond (025) . <br /> This pond, which was not designed to accommodate this flow plus the <br /> yard drainage, discharged to Road A ditch and eventually to Dutch <br /> Creek via a road culvert. Resources was notified of the need to <br /> restore the flow to the design ponds (016) , and ultimately <br /> accomplished the necessary repairs. <br /> Throughout the spring, both Coal and Dutch Creeks were observed to <br /> be rising as the snow melted from first the lower and then the <br /> higher elevations of Coal Basin. By June 1, it was evident that <br /> the sediment control system from the Rock Tunnel to the Old Refuse <br /> Pile ponds (001) would, with minor maintenance, adequately pass the <br /> runoff from the contributing areas. The only remaining concern <br /> relative to the lower ponds was the stability of pond embankments <br /> which were in close proximity to either Dutch or Coal Creeks. A <br /> heavy runoff was still anticipated, as a significant amount of snow <br /> was still on the ground from the Rock Tunnel elevation to the crest <br /> of Huntsmans Ridge. <br /> On June 6 it was observed that rock was accumulating within the <br /> Dutch Creek flume immediately above the culvert placed within the <br /> flume in 1993 by Resources. The result of the accumulation of rock <br /> within the concrete flume was a reduction of the total depth of the <br /> four feet deep flume by at least two feet. This raised the <br /> possibility of Dutch Creek flowing out of the flume and into either <br /> the Old Refuse Pile or the facilities area. The rock was pushed <br /> through the culvert on the evening of June 6 using a backhoe and <br /> loader. However, more rock had again accumulated by the morning of <br /> June 7 . It was decided to place a backhoe immediately upstream of <br /> the culvert for the duration of the runoff to push rock through the <br /> culvert. An emergency channel was constructed just west of, and <br /> parallel to, the flume in order to route any over flows from Dutch <br /> Creek through the facilities area and away from the Old Refuse <br /> Pile. In order to increase the effective depth of the flume a <br /> single row of 30 inch tall Jersey barriers was placed for a length <br /> of sixty feet above the culvert on the west side of the flume, and <br /> 5 <br />