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Mine Site Evaluation <br />Mine Name: Colowyo Coal Mine <br />Operator: Colowyo Coal Company <br />Permit #: C- 019 -81 <br />Permit Activity Status: Active - Producing <br />Inspection Date: August 8, 2012 <br />Inspection Type Code: OSM Partial /DOGM Partial — Phase 1 Bond Release <br />Weather Conditions: 90's, Sunny & hot <br />OSM Inspector: Christy Hulsman <br />Joint - State /OSM Inspection: Yes X No <br />Other inspection participant(s): <br />Rod Zuber, DRMS, Lead Inspector for Colowyo <br />Jason Musick, DRMS <br />Kurt Blunt, Colowyo C.C. <br />Tony Tennyson, Colowyo C.C. <br />Jennifer Maiolo, BLM <br />Inspection Narrative <br />An inspection of the SL -6 Phase 1 bond release area was conducted at the Colowyo Coal Mine on August <br />8, 2012. The bond release area consisted of 697.37 acres of the West Pit mining area and the East Pit <br />mining area. A permittee can request a Phase 1 bond release on areas that have been backfilled and <br />graded with drainage control established according to the approved reclamation plan. <br />Regrading of the bond release areas occurred anywhere from 2002 to 2011 with topsoiling occurring <br />immediately after final grade was achieved. The areas were then seeded between 2005 and 2011; with <br />only one site still needing to be seeded at the time of inspection. <br />The bond release inspection focused on the evaluation of the construction and functionality of the <br />ditches in the bond release areas, as well as the evaluation of AOC for the regraded areas. Jason Musick <br />utilized a GPS device to walk predesignated transects over the bond release areas to capture and <br />evaluate final grade elevations. <br />The East Taylor Ditch, Prospect Stock Pond, NTEP1 Stock Pond, and the EP1 Stock Pond appeared to <br />have been constructed according to approved designs. The Taylor Tributary Ditch had portions of the <br />channel with less than the 4 foot freeboard depth required by the approved Reclamation Plan. DRMS <br />will follow -up with Colowyo Coal Co. to verify that the necessary work is conducted on this channel, and <br />any other channel not meeting permit requirements, before issuing a proposed decision on the Phase 1 <br />Bond Release. If the repairs cannot be done in a timely manner, DRMS may choose to remove that area <br />from the SL6 Bond Release Area. <br />