2015-07-29_REPORT - M1999002

• Permit No: M1999002
• IBM Index Class Name: REPORT
• Doc Date: 7/29/2015
• Doc Name: Quarterly Report
• From: American Soda
• To: DRMS
• Email Name: THM
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Executive Summar
American Soda, L.L.P. is submitting this 59th Quarterly Ground Water Monitoring Report
in compliance with E.P.A. U. I. C. Area Permit CO3858-00000 Final Modification No. 9
(March 31, 2005), MLRB Hard Rock Mining Operation Permit No. M-99-002 (Technical
Revision No. 4), and U. S. B. L. M. Sodium Lease Nos. C-0118328 and C-0118329 Record of
Decision. The data presented in this document represents the time period from April 1,
2015 through June 30, 2015. The Piceance processing plant and well field were in
temporary suspension of production operations status and no solution mining activity
occurred during the report period.
The hydrologic monitoring program for the current reporting period at the Yankee Gulch
Sodium Minerals Project includes monitoring of 60 water quality constituents from 22
sampling locations including five separate water bearing zones. Sampling points are
positioned up gradient, down gradient, cross gradient, and in -panel in relation to the
mining activity. Recording of water elevations and field parameters is completed in
conjunction with collection of the water quality samples from each well. As a result of
the high solids content of the dissolution aquifer, sampling is only reliably successful at
one dissolution sample point. The completion of this well (21-3D) is in the upper portion
of the dissolution aquifer where dissolved solids are somewhat less concentrated. Water
levels in all three dissolution surface monitoring wells are being manually measured and
recorded on a quarterly basis. One downstream private domestic groundwater well
(BURKE) is also sampled quarterly.
Before American Soda commenced mining operations in 2000, fifteen months of baseline
ground water data was collected. The current quarter monitoring data for each well is
summarized in a two page table per well in this document. Not only is the raw data for
the present reporting period included, but also regulatory standards and statistics are
shown for comparison and, additionally, baseline and operational statistics are calculated
for all data prior to the reporting period. Colorado Division of Reclamation and Mine