_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1981017 (239)

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INTEROFFICE CORRESPONDENCE Date: April 14, 1989 To: John Turner From: Scott Jones Subject : Inspection of Coal Basin Refuse Piles , First Quarter 1989 On March 31 , 1989 an inspection was made of the Mid-Continent Resources , Inc. Sutey Coal Refuse Pile and the Rock Tunnel Waste Pile. The inspection was made by myself, a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Colorado. I have had over six years experience in the design , construction and operation of refuse piles . The purpose of this inspection was to ensure that the refuse piles were being constructed according to the approved design contained in Volume II , App 2-B-5 and App 2-B-3 of Mid-Continent Resource' s , Inc . permit application (permit #C-017-86) and the requirements of Rules 4. 9 and 4. 10 of the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board and 30CFR 77. 215 of the Mine Safety and Health Administration . This inspection included observations of structural stability, compaction procedures and hydrologic control . Sutey Coal Refuse Pile At the time of inspection , refuse was being placed on the east end of the pile by a conveyor belt . A D-8 Dozer and Front End Loader were pushing the material northwards in lifts less than two feet thick. The loader and dozer were making five to seven passes over the deposited refuse in order to ensure adequate compaction of the lifts . A walk around of the entire area indicated that there were no signs of structural instability or ponding of water anywhere on the pile. However, numerous seeps from melting snow has shown up on the revegetated areas of the pile. This has caused rills and gullies to form on the outslopes . The operator was preparing to add more topsoil to these areas and repair the rills and gullies . The entire pile is scheduled to be re-seeded this spring.