Laserfiche WebLink
West Elk Mine 2015 Surface Water and Groundwater Quantity and Quality Data Summary 1 <br />1.0 INTRODUCTION <br />This Mountain Coal Company, LLC (MCC) West Elk Mine 2015 Summary of Water Quantity <br />and Quality Data memo summarizes Hydrogeo, Inc.'s (HydroGeo) hydrologic monitoring <br />activities and pertinent data associated with the West Elk Mine mining operations for the Water <br />Year 2015 (WY 2015, October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015). The hydrologic <br />monitoring was performed in accordance with the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining <br />and Safety (CDRMS) Permit C-1980-007. <br />2.0 HYDROLOGIC MONITORING PLAN <br />The MCC hydrologic monitoring program is designed to collect the monitoring data needed to <br />assess mining -related impacts on hydrologic resources. The Colorado Division of Reclamation, <br />Mining, and Safety (CDRMS) approved a revised hydrologic monitoring plan for the West Elk <br />Mine permit area in June 2006 (CDRMS, 2006). The revised monitoring plan has been <br />implemented since the latter months of WY 2006 and in WYs 2007 through 2015. A brief <br />summary of the current monitoring plan (CDRMS, 2006) is presented in the following sections. <br />The hydrologic monitoring plan for the permit area includes monitoring surface water resources, <br />springs and seeps, groundwater resources, the coal refuse pile underdrains, and pertinent mine <br />water sites. Routine monitoring, i.e., subsequent to the baseline monitoring period, includes <br />collecting field water quality data (pH, electrical conductivity [EC], and temperature) and <br />collecting a sample for independent laboratory analysis annually. Flow or water level <br />measurements are collected three times per year corresponding with the rising limb period <br />between April P and May 13th; the peak flow period between April 21St and June 26th; and the <br />low flow period between July 10th and October 8th, as shown on Table 1. The chemical analyte <br />suite for the first five years of sampling for both groundwater and surface water samples, <br />including one year of baseline sampling, is presented in Table 2. <br />The current hydrologic monitoring plan for MCC incorporates a separate baseline monitoring <br />schedule for all new monitoring sites for approximately one year prior to the time when mine <br />development operations expand into new potentially affected areas. The baseline monitoring <br />schedule protocols stipulate collecting monthly field water quality data, flow or water level <br />measurements, and collecting samples for laboratory analysis for the year prior to initiation of <br />mining and potential impacts (Table 2). Site-specific baseline schedules are dependent on site <br />accessibility and mine development timing. In general, baseline monitoring is conducted for at <br />least six consecutive months, usually from April through September, in order to provide <br />adequate data to show seasonal variations in water quality and quantity. Winter access to most <br />sites within the MCC permit area is impractical and not feasible, so baseline monthly monitoring <br />is generally not performed from October through March. A summary of the approved baseline <br />and routine monitoring program frequencies is presented in Table 1. <br />June 2016 HydroGeo, Inc <br />