_INSPECTION - C1980007 (8) - Laserfiche WebLink

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December 5, 2012 C-1980-007/West Elk Mine JRS HYDROLOGIC BALANCE (cont.) -Pond MB-5E contained water in both cells at a level just below the discharge pipes (approximately seven feet below the emergency spillway) and was not discharging at the time of the inspection. Discharge from the pond is not yet permitted and all discharges from the pond are routed/pumped to pond MB 3. There was water flowing into the south cell but not the north cell of the pond. The pond cells are incised ponds and were stable,with no erosional problems noted. The emergency spillways are open, riprapped channels. They were clear and stable at the time of the inspection. -The NSSA pond was dry at the time of the inspection. The pond and pond embankment were well vegetated and stable and no erosional problems were noted. -The fresh water ponds both contained water at the time of the inspection. FW-1 contained water approximately eight feet below the top and FW-2 contained water approximately one foot below the top of the pond. Neither pond was discharging at the time of the inspection. The pond embankments were well vegetated and stable and no erosional problems were noted. -The ditches along the main haul road and the haul road to the Sylvester Gulch facilities area were all clean and appeared to be stable at the time of the inspection. The areas behind the rock check dams were all clean. -The ditches around the RPE were clean and stable and no erosional problems were noted. The operator has reestablished and riprapped the ditch on the south side of the pile, along the interface with the repaired HR-1 slide. This ditch empties into the perimeter ditch and ultimately into the east cell of the RPE pond. The outlet of the ditch hits a portion of the ditch that is lined with concrete, so it should remain stable. -The ditch around the LRP is a concrete ditch. The ditch was basically clean and stable at the time of the inspection. The ditches along the haul road to the RPEE,HR-1,were all clean and stable at the time of the inspection. -Mountain Coal has completed the clean water and sediment control ditches for the RPEE. These ditches are both riprapped channels. The clean water ditch drains to the undisturbed area below the RPEE and the sediment control ditch drains into the RPE ponds. There are two parts of the sediment control ditch that the Division will continually monitor to ensure stability. These are the 90 degree bend area,where the ditch turns and flows into the RPE pond. The second area is where the ditch flows into the half culvert. This portion needs to be monitored to ensure that there is no undercutting below this culvert. Neither ditch appears to have had any water in them yet. Both ditches appeared to be stable at the time of the inspection. GENERAL MINE PLAN COMPLANCE: -The mine was currently moving the longwall from panel E3 to panel E4. Panel E4 was cut short approximately 2,000 feet short to avoid the liquid hydrocarbon that was encountered and caused problems in longwall panel E3. The still expect to hit the sand channel in the panel. Development work has, obviously,been completed in the panel E4 headgate. They have completed development in the panel E5 headgate to cross-cut 35, at approximately station 64+80. The development of the panel E6 headgate remains unchanged, at cross-cut 6. There is no change in the development in the E South Mains. The current mining information is shown on a map in the basement of the main office building in the operations area. Overall,mining is progressing as permitted and shown on Map 51 -E-Seam Projected Operations. Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 4 Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 2 Page 3 of 18