2015-03-11_PERMIT FILE - C1981038A (2)

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RATIONALE FOURTH RENEWAL CDPS GENERAL PERMIT NO: COG-0850000 -COAL MINING FACILITIES ANNUAL FEE $780, CATEGORY 07 SUBCATEGORY OS (EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007) I. INTRODUCTION This is the fourth renewal of the general permit for coal mining discharges (COG-0850000) to surface waters. Changes have been made to allow for more coverage of coal mining facilities under this general permit. II. GENERAL PERMIT SCOPE A. Applicability The previous general included only discharges from acid or ferruginous type mine drainage, while this permit is designed to cover Alkaline Mine Drainage, Acid or Ferruginous Mine Drainage, Coal Preparation Plants and Associated Areas, Post Mining Areas, discharges from Western Alkaline Coal Mining areas, and discharges of surface water runoff or other non- coal mining water. Type of Coal Mining Facilities -This general permit (COG-085000) authorizes the discharge of wastewater from coal mining operations from the following categories of coal mines, as defined in 40 CFR Part 434: 1) Acid or Ferruginous Mine Drainage - meaning mine drainage which, before any treatment, either has a pH of less than 6.0 or a total iron concentration equal to or greater than 10 mg/l. 2) Alkaline Mine Drainage -meaning mine drainage which, before any treatment, has a pH equal to or greater than 6.0 and total iron concentration of less than 10 mg/l. 3) Coal Preparation Plant and Coal Preparation Plant Associated Areas - meaning a facility where coal is subjected to cleaning, concentrating, or other processing or preparation in order to separate coal from its impurities and then is loaded for transit to a consuming facility, and coal preparation plant yards, immediate access roads, coal refuse piles and coal storage piles and facilities. 4) Post Mining Areas - meaning a reclamation area or the underground workings of an underground coal mine after the extraction, removal, or recovery of coal from its natural deposit has ceased and prior to bond release. 5) Western Alkaline Coal Mining - meaning a surface or underground coal mining operation located in the interior western United States, west of the 100th meridian west longitude, in an acid or semiarid environment with an average annual precipitation of 26.0 inches or less. Note that this general permit does not cover the discharges from coal remining operations, defined as a coal mining operation at a site on which coal mining operations have previously been conducted, and where the site has been abandoned or the performance bond has been forfeited. Groundwater -Under Section 25-8-202(7) of the Colorado Water Quality Control Act, discharges to groundwater can not be authorized under the Division 's jurisdiction, and a cert~cation to discharge can not be issued. In these instances, an applicant will need to contact the appropriate state agency which for a discharge to groundwater may be the Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety, or the Environmental Protection Agency under the Underground Injection Control program. In some cases, where the discharge to groundwater is in the alluvial material, and the groundwater discharge is considered to impact the surface waters, a facility may be authorized under this general permit. Stormwater -When Stormwater mixes with process water, the process water limitations (Part I.B of the permit) apply to the discharge of that mixed water. The Stormwater section (Part I. C of the permit) is intended to cover those portions of a coal mining operation that are not already subject to effluent limitations. Domestic Wastewater -Note that this general permit does not cover the discharge of domestic type wastewater. If this type of coverage is needed, the permittee may apply for a combined industrial and domestic individual permit, or may apply separately for a domestic general permit (applicable). Need for an Individual Permit -Dischargers that do not fit under this characterization, that possess highly toxic chemicals in elevated concentrations, that elect to have an individual permit, or wish to have mixing zone orsite-specific antidegradation considerations, should apply for coverage under an individual permit.