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West Elk Mine <br />required by state regulations and under the jurisdiction of the Colorado Department of Public Health <br />and Environment (CDPHE). An as -built construction description of the building housing this <br />system is provided in Exhibit 68. MCC has the capability to expand the water treatment plant, if <br />needed. Capacity can be readily expanded by adding additional components should the need ever <br />arise due to increased needs at the mine. Treated water is pumped to the 175,000 gallon potable <br />water tank located west of the mine portals. A chlorine meter housed in a wooden shed aids in <br />monitoring the chlorine levels in the treated water entering the mine's potable water distribution <br />system. <br />Demand for water at the mine is expected to increase in the future. With the estimated maximum <br />8.2 million tons (plus) per year production at West Elk Mine, MCC conservatively estimates that <br />as much as 300 acre feet per year but a likely maximum of 150 acre feet per year (based on 250 <br />work days) of fresh water will be required. Prior to installation of the longwall, annual coal <br />production was 600,000 tons per year. At this rate, water needs were about 65 acre-feet per year. <br />The Annual Hydrology Reports submitted to the CDRMS each year contain specific data on the <br />amount of water consumed annually at the mine since 1982. <br />Water used at West Elk Mine comes from adjudicated water rights owned by MCC. Table 33 <br />summarizes MCC's rights. The rights are used according to Colorado Water Laws administered by <br />the District No. 4 Water Commissioner. MCC also has available (for use or augmentation) non - <br />tributary water rights and storage water rights (not shown in Table 33) for the water generated from <br />the mine and stored in sumps maintained within the underground mine. <br />Surnmairy of Mountain Coal Compan <br />Table 33 <br />'s Water Rights for the West Elk Mine <br />Source of Water <br />Water Rights <br />Mt. Gunnison Pipeline <br />15.00 cubic feet per second <br />Tony Bear Pipeline <br />0.9 cubic feet per second <br />Chipmunk Ditch <br />1.0 cubic feet per second <br />Walter Gallob Ditch <br />0.75 cubic feet per second <br />Sedimentation Ponds: <br />MB -3 <br />0.23 acre-feet <br />MB -5E <br />19.59 acre-feet' <br />Freshwater Ponds: <br />FW -1 <br />9.98 acre-feet <br />FW -2 <br />13.66 acre-feet2 <br />Mt. Gunnison Tunnel <br />0.49 feet per second <br />Notes 1 The DWR approved an application filed in 08/09 to combine the adjudicated water storage rights of former ponds MB -1 and MB -2 into new <br />and MB -5E <br />2 This 13.66 acre-feet includes 3 68 acre-feet from the former MB -1 storage right in this pond location and 9 98 acre-feet from the original FW -2 <br />conditional stora e ri ht beingerfected n the a hcation above. <br />The water distribution system at West Elk Mine contains several major components. They include <br />the raw water intake gallery and pumps, HDPE, cast or steel utility piping, freshwater storage ponds <br />FW -1 and FW -2 (formerly sediment pond MB -1), potable water treatment plant, mine water pumps, <br />a 1.2 million gallon mine water storage tank, freshwater pumps, a 175,000 gallon potable water <br />tank, and fire suppression systems. Freshwater pond FW -2 serves as a secondary storage pond that <br />provides additional raw water storage volume that can be pumped to freshwater pond FW -1 and <br />then into the potable water treatment and/or distribution systems. <br />205-19 Rev 06105, 01106, 03/06, 04106 & 05/06- PRIO; 01/09- MR350; 04/09- TRIM 04/09- MR353, 05/09- MR354, 08/09- TR118; <br />08/09- TRI19, 09/12- MR387; 11/12- MR390, 07/18-PRI5 <br />