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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 4 <br /> Summary <br /> <br /> <br />The Review Process <br /> <br />On August 15, 1983, the North Thompson Creek Mines were issued a permanent program permit <br />(C-1981-025) for a five year term. The Division renewed this Permit for subsequent five-year <br />terms on August 16, 1988, August 15, 1993, August 15, 1998, July 28, 2003, August 15, 2008, <br />August 15, 2013, and August 15, 2018. This renewal will expire on August 15, 2023. The mine <br />is no longer producing coal and nearly all of the reclamation work was completed by 1987. <br /> <br />The Permit Renewal No. 7 (RN-7) application was received by the Division on March 6, 2018, <br />and deemed complete on March 7, 2018. The applicant published a public notice for the permit <br />renewal once a week for four consecutive weeks on December 20, 2012 to January 10, 2013. <br />The Division received no comments concerning this renewal. <br /> <br />The preliminary adequacy review letter, in which the Division identified deficiencies in the <br />original renewal application, was sent to Minrec, Inc. on July 9, 2018. Resolution of the <br />deficiencies was required in order for the Division to make determinations of compliance with <br />the Act. The applicant responded to the comments on July 24, 2018 with the submittal of revised <br />pages to the application. <br /> <br />Minrec, Inc. was in good standing on the initial check of the Applicant Violator System (AVS) <br />on March 8, 2018 for this permit renewal, and on August 31, 2018, prior to the Division’s <br />proposed decision. <br /> <br />Description of the Environment <br /> <br />The North Thompson Creek Mine is located in the lower Roaring Fork Drainage Basin. The <br />major drainages, divides and basins of the mine area are shown on Drawing D-4-7 of the permit <br />application. The permit area of the North Thompson Creek Mine is located within the North and <br />Middle Thompson Creek Drainage Basins. These two perennial streams combine to form <br />Thompson Creek about two and one half miles below the mine portals. Thompson Creek is a <br />major tributary of the Crystal River, which is located about five miles downstream of the mining <br />disturbance. <br /> <br />The stream valleys of North and Middle Thompson Creeks have steep gradients and valley walls. <br />Elevations of the Thompson Creek drainage basin are 10,927 feet at Twin Peaks, 7,700 feet at <br />the mine and 6,375 feet at the confluence with the Crystal River. <br /> <br />Geology- <br /> <br />The North Thompson Creek Mine is located along the Grand Hogback monocline. The Grand <br />Hogback forms the steeply dipping eastern edge of the Piceance Basin. The Pennsylvanian <br />through Tertiary Age sedimentary formations which form the Grand Hogback dip 15 to 45 <br />degrees to the west.