Laserfiche WebLink
Dan Hernandez <br />June 3, 2013 <br />Page 4 <br />anticipated water quality problems, and known contaminated water bearing zones that may be <br />encountered in the area of the proposed drilling activity." Rule 10.4.10.1 states "Prior to <br />construction, the drilling contractor shall advise the well owner, or his agent, that known zones <br />of poor quality water may be penetrated by the borehole in the production zone of the aquifer." <br />The Board of Examiners of Water Well Construction and Pump Installation Contractors require <br />that drilling contractors follow these rules and guidelines when considering the installation of a <br />well. Contractors should advise the well owner of the possibility of penetrating coal zones <br />containing poor quality water and provide the option of having such water sealed out of the well. <br />The important point here is that coal zones or bedrock containing interbedded coal would not be <br />a good target depth or well design for a domestic or agricultural use well. Installing wells in a <br />coal zone is not advised due to naturally occurring poor water quality from these zones. In some <br />instances, there may be a water use that doesn't require water treatment (stock water, industrial <br />uses, etc.) and a well owner may choose to include water from the coal zone in the production <br />from the well. <br />The coal zones that produce water beneath the Southfield Mine were never intended to be <br />developed for drinking water use because they contain poor quality water. All of the existing <br />monitoring wells at the site penetrate coal zones and the wells are constructed such that the <br />perforated interval is in the coal zone. The coal zones are under confined conditions so the water <br />in a well penetrating and screened within the coal zone rises to a level significantly above that of <br />the coal seam. The water level in a well open to a specific confined saturated zone stands at the <br />level of the potentiometric surface. If the wells are constructed properly there is no potential for <br />intermingling of groundwater from different sources through the borehole. The coal zones are S�bs7���rc <br />separated from other potential water bearing zones above and from the underlying Trinidad <br />Sandstone by numerous interbedded mudstones and siltstones which act as aquicludes and <br />greatly restrict vertical movement of groundwater. The hydrogeology of the Southfield Mine <br />Site and adjacent areas is discussed in more detail below to further illustrate this point. <br />History of the Southfield Mine Site <br />The Southfield Mine is located approximately 8 miles south of Florence, Colorado in Fremont <br />County. The Southfield Mine is a reclaimed underground coal mine which is owned and <br />operated by Energy Fuels Coal, Incorporated (EFCI). A permit to operate the mine was <br />originally issued to Dorchester Coal Company under the name of Dorchester No.I Mine on July <br />30, 1984. EFCI bought the operation in March 1985 and changed the name of the mine to <br />Southfield. The transfer of the permit was approved by the Division on March 22, 1985. <br />Energy Fuels Coal, Inc. actively mined the Southfield Mine until it went into temporary <br />cessation on 18 December 2000. In a letter dated 30 May 2001, EFCI provided further detail of <br />its temporary cessation, pursuant to Rule 4.30.1(2). The mine has been reclaimed and the <br />surface facility areas have undergone a Phase I Bond Release (SL -02). All environmental <br />monitoring activities will continue until final bond release. <br />Extensive past mining disturbances characterize the general area of the Southfield Mine. In 1860 <br />the first coal mine was opened in the northern portion of the Canon City Coal Field. Production <br />