Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 17 <br /> <br />During mining operations, waste water from the coal wash plant was recycled back <br />into a coal washing facility after fines settled out in upper and lower settling <br />ponds. This water recycling system increased the total dissolved solids in the <br />water through exposure of the water to fines and through evaporation. The ponds <br />that were used in this water recycling system were unlined and were located on, <br />or were hydrologically adjacent to, the North Thompson Creek alluvium. Thus, <br />these ponds posed a potential for the degradation of the alluvial water quality, and <br />may still be reflected in the higher conductivity of samples from piezometer D- <br />2A. Mining has ceased, the washing facilities have been removed, and the <br />ponds have been reclaimed. Thus any such impacts to these alluvium materials <br />are likely to diminish with time. <br /> <br />The water used at the loadout site was pumped from wells completed in the <br />Roaring Fork alluvium. The withdrawal of this ground water was small and was <br />covered under a plan of augmentation that minimized impact to the quantity of <br />alluvial ground water. All such withdrawals were suspended with reclamation of <br />the site. Alluvial groundwater regimes have likely been reestablished in these <br />highly permeable materials. Flood irrigation has been reestablished on the alluvial <br />valley floor. There has been no evidence of any adverse impacts to the ground <br />water quality at the loadout site. <br /> <br />2) Surface Water <br /> <br />The determination has been made that there is no impact to Middle Thompson <br />Creek. Surface disturbances in the Middle Thompson Creek drainage included <br />two flow monitoring flumes, a portal, an air shaft, and roads. The roads have been <br />stabilized, and have been permitted for retention. All of the other disturbances <br />were small, and have been reclaimed. There has been no mine water discharged to <br />Middle Thompson Creek. Except for flow measurements, there has been no <br />monitoring of surface waters in the Middle Thompson Creek drainage. <br /> <br />The determination has been made that there is no impact to the Roaring Fork <br />River from disturbances at the loadout site. The loadout site has been reclaimed. <br /> <br />Surface water inflows to North Thompson Creek within the permit area include <br />the discharges from the portals of both Mine No. 1 and Mine No. 3, surface water <br />runoff from reclaimed disturbed areas, discharge from Mine No. 2, flows from <br />springs and seeps, runoff from undisturbed areas of the permit, and areas of <br />watersheds above the permit boundary. Discharges into North Thompson Creek <br />from the mine portals of Mine No. 1 and Mine No. 3, and runoff from disturbed <br />areas of the permit, were subject to the CDPHE Permit No. C0-0029599 (CDPS). <br />This permit placed some limitations, and requires periodic monitoring, for the <br />following parameters: flow, oil and grease, pH, total suspended solids, total <br />dissolved solids, whole effluent toxicity, potentially dissolved cadmium, <br />potentially dissolved iron, and total recoverable iron. One-time analyses were