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2021 AHR Review: New Elk Mine <br /> Effluent parameters as per the NPDES permit 0000906 to be sampled are,boron and chloride as (mg/1); <br /> and as (ug/1), arsenic,turbium, cadmium,palladium, chromium, copper, iron, manganese,mercury, <br /> selenium, and zinc, and constituent parameters comprise TSS (mg/1), TDS (mg/1),Fe (mg/1),total Fe <br /> (mg/1),total Al (mg/1) as per Permit Table 28. <br /> It appears that all required parameters were sampled for. However, analytes differ between the NPDES <br /> permit and the DRMS permit. <br /> 10. Sampling frequency at surface water monitoring sites <br /> NPDES permit CO- 0000906 CDRMS Permit Table 27; Monitoring Frequency <br /> New Elk conducted surface monitoring in accordance with the approved monitoring plan and frequency <br /> for sites PRS 1 and PRS 4 in 2021 and results were within the 2019 and 2020 levels. <br /> 11. NPDES discharge limitations <br /> NPDES permit CO- 0000906 <br /> The New Elk Mine did not discharge from any of the 5 drainage systems associated with Ponds 001, <br /> 004, 007, 008, 010, during 2021. Pond 004 no longer requires monitoring as per the 2021 AHR and <br /> NPDES station 080 was also removed as per the AHR. Site 010 was added in 2021. <br /> Acute WET Testing is prescribed for outfalls 007 and 008. Chronic WET Testing is prescribed for <br /> outfall 001. The New Elk Mine did not discharge from any of the 5 drainage systems associated with <br /> Ponds 001, 004, 007, 008, 010, during 2021. Pond 004 no longer requires monitoring as per the 2021 <br /> AHR. Various progress reports for Outfalls 001, 007, 008, 010 and are required by the discharge permit <br /> due from years 2016 through 2020. <br /> Based on a Memorandum of Understanding between the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety <br /> and the Water Quality Control Division (WQCD), the WQCD will be responsible for enforcing CDPS <br /> permit conditions. The Permit CO-0000906 was issued in 2015 and expired in May of 2020. <br /> 12. Basic Standards for Surface Water <br /> CWQCC Regulation 31 <br /> The streams segments are not on the State 303(d) list,therefore TMDL's do not apply. Surface water <br /> sites PRS 1 and PRS 4 are monitored semiannualy see section 13 below: hlstream Numeric Standards. <br /> 13. Instream Numeric Standards <br /> WQCC regulations 33.0 and 40 <br /> Four monitoring sites exist at the site comprise 001, 007, 008, 010. DRMS inspections include <br /> outfalls 011 and 012. <br /> New Elk Mine is subject to the water quality standards on the Arkansas River Basin, Segment Sb <br /> for the receiving stream; the Middle Fork of the Purgatoire River. New Elk Mine's discharges from <br /> NPDES outfalls are based on constituents in its effluent likely to cause an exceedance of numeric <br /> standards. Alternative limitations for TSS, total iron, and settleable solids exist only for outfalls <br /> 007 and 008. <br /> Discharges in 2021 appeared to comply with discharge limitations set as per the NPDES permit and <br /> also were within historical levels. It is reasonable to conclude that New Elk Mine's discharges did <br /> not violate Segment Sb for the Middle Fork of the Purgatoire River instream numeric standards. <br /> Page 2 of 6 <br />