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TRI-STATE GENERATION AND TRANSMISSION ASSOCIATION, INC. <br />HEADQUARTERS: P.O. BOX 33695 DENVER, COLORADO 80233-0695 303-452-6111 <br />November 18, 2016 <br />Mr. Zach Trujillo <br />Environmental Protection Specialist <br />Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman Street, Room 215 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />RE: Colowyo Coal Company L.P. <br />Permit No. C-1981-019 <br />Minor Revision No. 166 <br />Collom Groundwater Monitoring Plan & Topsoil Pile Location <br />Dear Mr. Trujillo, <br />Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. (Tri-State), is the parent <br />company to Axial Basin Coal Company, which is the general partner to Colowyo Coal Company <br />L.P. (Colowyo). Therefore, Tri-State on behalf of Colowyo is submitting three (3) copies of <br />minor revision 166 (MR -166) to Permit No. C-1981-019. <br />MR -166 proposes to revise the Collom groundwater monitoring plan by removing <br />monitoring well MLC -04-02, and reinstating monitoring of well MLC -04-01. Under permit <br />revision 04 (PR -04) application, the Division requested that well MLC -04-02 be drilled as it was <br />more representative of the valley fill condition for the Collom Mine since Colowyo relinquished <br />mining of the Little Collom X Pit under PR -04. <br />Colowyo attempted to drill the well MLC -04-02 in Little Collom Gulch in October of <br />2016. During the drilling of the hole, weathered bedrock was encountered at approximately four <br />feet below ground surface, with a mixture of colluvium and eolian material from ground surface <br />to four feet below ground surface. Drilling was advanced to 20 feet to determine if any shallow <br />ground water could be encountered. The drilled materials to 20 feet were dry; therefore <br />indicating that a valley fill aquifer is not present in that reach of Little Collom Gulch. Further <br />information describing the valley fill condition encountered has been presented in Volume 15 <br />Section 2.04.7(2). <br />Stipulation 21 for Permit No. C-1981-019 requires Colowyo to drill MLC -04-02, carry <br />out standard aquifer tests and update the permit application package through a minor revision to <br />document the well completion and data acquired. Per a phone conversation between Mr. Tony <br />Tennyson (Tri-State), Mr. Brant Dennis (BD GeoEnvironmental Servies), Mr. Jim Stark <br />(Division), and Mr. Zach Trujillo (Division) on November 4, 2016, it was determined that <br />Colowyo will reinstate monitoring MLC -04-01 due to MLC -04-02 being dry and not <br />representative of a valley fill aquifer. With this proposed change to Collom groundwater <br />monitoring program, Stipulation 21 is no longer applicable, and Tri-State requests that the <br />Division note that Stipulation 21 has been complied with, in the permit system. <br />AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER <br />A Touchstone Energy* Cooperative <br />CRAIG STATION ESCALANTE STATION NUCiA STATION <br />P.O. BOX 1307 P.O. BOX 577 P.O. BOX 696 <br />CRAIG, CO 81626-1307 PREWITT, NM 87045 NUCLA. CO 81424-0698 <br />970-824-4411 505-972-5200 970-864-7316 <br />