West Virginia Code § 22-3-15

Inspections; monitoring; right of entry; inspection of records;
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identification signs; progress maps.
(a) The director shall cause to be made inspections of surface-mining operations as are
necessary to effectively enforce the requirements of this article and for such purposes the
director or his or her authorized representative shall without advance notice and upon
presentation of appropriate credentials: (A) Have the right of entry to, upone or through
surface-mining operations or any premises in which any records required to be maintained
under subdivision (1), subsection (b) of this section are located; and (B)r at reasonable times
and without delay, have access to and copy any records and inspect any monitoring
equipment or method of operation required under this article.
(b) For the purpose of enforcement under this article, in thet administration and enforcement
of any permit under this article, or for determining whether any person is in violation of any
requirement of this article:
(1) The director shall, at a minimum, require any olperator to: (A) Establish and maintain
appropriate records; (B) make monthly reportss to the division; (C) install, use and maintain
any necessary monitoring equipment or methods consistent with subdivision (11), subsection
(a), section nine of this article; (D) evaluate results in accordance with such methods, at such
locations, intervals and in such mangner as the director prescribes; and (E) provide any other
information relative to surface-mining operations as the director finds reasonable and
necessary; and e
(2) For those surface-mining operations which remove or disturb strata that serve as
aquifers which significantly ensure the hydrologic balance of water use either on or off the
mining site, the director shall require that: (A) Monitoring sites be established to record the
quantity and quality of surface drainage above and below the mine site as well as in the
potential zone of influence; (B) monitoring sites be established to record level, amount and
samples of groundwater and aquifers potentially affected by the surface-mining and also
beloWw the lowermost mineral seam to be mined; (C) records or well logs and borehole data
be maintained; and (D) monitoring sites be established to record precipitation. The
monitoring, data collection and analysis required by this section shall be conducted
according to standards and procedures set forth by the director in order to assure their
reliability and validity.
(c) All surface-mining operations shall be inspected at least once every thirty days. The
inspections shall be made on an irregular basis without prior notice to the operator or the
operator's agents or employees, except for necessary on-site meetings with the operator. The
inspections shall include the filing of inspection reports adequate to enforce the
requirements, terms and purposes of this article.
(d) Each permittee shall maintain at the entrances to the surface-mining operations a clearly
visible monument which sets forth the name, business address and telephone number of the
permittee and the permit number of the surface-mining operations.
(e) Copies of any records, reports, inspection materials or information obtained under this
article by the director shall be made immediately available to the public at central and
sufficient locations in the county, multicounty or state area of mining so that they are
conveniently available to residents in the areas of mining unless specifically exempted by
this article.
(f) Within thirty days after service of a copy of an order of the director upone an operator by
registered or certified mail, the operator shall furnish to the director five copies of a
progress map prepared by or under the supervision of a person approvred by the director
showing the disturbed area to the date of such map. Such progress map shall contain
information identical to that required for both the proposed and final maps required by this
article, and shall show in detail completed reclamation work as required by the director.
Such progress map shall include a geologic survey sketch shtowing the location of the
operation, shall be properly referenced to a permanent landmark, and shall be within such
reasonable degree of accuracy as may be prescribed by the director. If no land has been
disturbed by operations during the preceding year, the operator shall notify the director of
that fact.
(g) Whenever on the basis of available information, including reliable information from any
person, the director has cause to believe that any person is in violation of this article, any
permit condition or any rule promulggated under this article, the director shall immediately
order state inspection of the surface-mining operation at which the alleged violation is
occurring unless the informatieon is available as a result of a prior state inspection. The
director shall notify any person who supplied such reliable information when the state
inspection will be carrieLd out. Such person may accompany the inspector during the
inspection.
(h) When requested by the permittee, the director may provide for a compliance conference
with his or her authorized representative to review the compliance status of any coal
exploration or surface-coal mining and reclamation operation. Any such conference may not
conWstitute an inspection as defined in this section.

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