2018-01-22_REVISION - C1981019 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

r January 18, 2018 Page 4 COLLOM TEMPORARY SPOIL PILE (NOT INCLUDING TOPSOIL REMOVAL, SEDIMENT POND DEVELOPMENT OR ACCESS/HAUL ROAD DEVELOPMENT) CAN OCCUR. The reasoning for the language being proposed in Stipulation 23 is under the Clean Water Act, Colorado Water Quality Control Act, and federal and state regulations; a mine process water discharge permit for stormwater runoff from mining operations is not required unless the stormwater comes into contact with overburden, byproduct, or waste products. Stormwater discharges are regulated for construction activities. For construction stormwater, any disturbance of more than one acre requires a permit and a plan to control sediment and minimize erosion through the use of control measures or best management practices. Colowyo has already obtained a construction stormwater permit (Certification #COR03L802) for construction activities at Collom. Colorado regulations do not require a discharge permit for stormwater from mine -related activities until stormwater comes into contact with overburden or other specified materials. The Colorado Discharge Permit Regulations (Regulation 61, 5 CCR 1002-61), Section 61.3(2)(c), say: The [Water Quality Control] Division may not require a permit for discharges of stormwater runoff from mining operations or oil and gas exploration, production, processing or treatment operations or transmission facilities, composed entirely offlows which are from conveyances or systems of conveyances (including but not limited to pipes, conduits, ditches, and channels) used for collecting and conveying precipitation runoff and which are not contaminated by contact with or that have not come into contact with, any overburden, raw material, intermediate products, finished product, byproduct or waste products located on the site of such operations. Therefore, the WQCD cannot require a process water permit for stormwater runoff from mining operations at the Collom Pit until stormwater comes into contact with overburden. Colowyo will be conducting construction -related earth -disturbing activities covered under its current construction stormwater permit until mining commences. WQCD has told Colowyo that, in 2018, they plan to combine industrial stormwater and wastewater discharges in one individual discharge permit for coal mines. Colowyo's individual discharge permit (CDPS #CO -0045161) will be revised to incorporate active mining areas (including overburden removal and stockpiling) and industrial stormwater runoff at the Collom mine expansion and the existing mining areas. Stipulation 23 will be met prior to commencement of stockpiling of overburden in the temporary spoil pile, which is anticipated to occur later in 2018. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY /AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER A Touchstone EneWCooperative �