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Water Quality Monitoring Plan Climax Molybdenum Company <br /> Version R4 Permit No M-1977-493 <br /> 3.0 CLIMAX DRAINAGE BASINS AND MONITORING SITES <br /> This section describes the Point of Compliance (POC) and internal monitoring locations in each drainage, <br /> and includes a summary of: <br /> ■ Existing and potential future uses of groundwater; <br /> ■ Use classifications for stream segments in each watershed; <br /> ■ Potential contaminant sources; <br /> ■ Hydrogeologic conditions; and <br /> ■ Monitoring locations. <br /> 3.1 Arkansas River Watershed <br /> The Arkansas River Watershed is located south of the open pit and mill facilities on the east side of the <br /> Continental Divide (Figure 1). The land adjacent to the Climax property is primarily National Forest Land <br /> managed for various uses by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). <br /> 3.1.1 Existing and Potential Future Uses of Groundwater <br /> Groundwater in the Arkansas River drainage basin at the Climax Mine flows mainly in a thin lens of alluvium <br /> and weathered bedrock that is underlain by lower permeability bedrock. The Water Quality Control <br /> Commission (WQCC) has not adopted classifications or site-specific groundwater standards in the <br /> Arkansas River Watershed in the vicinity of the Climax Mine. Water for industrial and potable uses at the <br /> mine is pumped from the Arkansas Well/Pond in the upper Arkansas River Watershed. For the purposes <br /> of potable use,this source is identified as groundwater under the influence of surface water by the Colorado <br /> Water Quality Control Division. <br /> 3.1.2 Location and Description of Classified Stream Segments <br /> Arkansas River Basin Segment 1 b is the main stem of the East Fork of the Arkansas River located from the <br /> source to a point immediately above the confluence above Bird's Eye Gulch, approximately 4 miles <br /> downstream of the Climax property boundary. Segment 1b is classified as Aquatic Life Cold 1, Recreation <br /> E, and Water Supply by the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC). <br /> 3.1.3 Potential Contaminant Sources and EPFs <br /> The upper Arkansas River Watershed contains portions of the Climax site that, at one time, supported <br /> underground mining operations. The entrance to the historic underground operation at Climax was through <br /> 5 Shaft and the Storke Portal at the Storke Yard just east of the hairpin turn on Highway 91, in the upper <br /> Arkansas River Watershed. Potential contaminant sources and established environmental protection <br /> facilities (EPFs) within this portion of the site are identified and described in Section T-5.1 of the EPP. In <br /> addition, a more detailed discussion of contaminant sources, EPFs, and reclamation activities performed <br /> within the Arkansas River Watershed are presented in Section 3.1 of the Regulation 41 Compliance <br /> Demonstration Report(Tetra Tech, 2016). <br /> EPP—Appendix C March 2018 4 <br />