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Kattenburg Pit SWSP <br /> September 26, 2024 <br /> Page 2 of 11 <br /> to be approximately 0.1 acre. A drilled well is also proposed to be constructed on the <br /> mining site and used to supply water for the mining operations. Water from both the <br /> excavated pond and the proposed drilled well will be used to wash the mined material and <br /> to perform dust control operations around the site. The evaporation of groundwater and <br /> other operational uses of groundwater will result in depletions to the Fraser River, a <br /> tributary of the Colorado River. <br /> In accordance with the letter dated April 30, 2010 (copy attached) from the Colorado <br /> Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety, all sand and gravel mining operators must <br /> comply with the requirements of the Colorado Reclamation Act and the Mineral Rules <br /> and Regulations for the protection of water resources. The April 30, 2010 letter from <br /> DRMS requires that you provide information to DRMS to demonstrate you can replace <br /> long-term injurious stream depletions that result from mining related exposure of <br /> groundwater. <br /> In accordance with approach no. 1, you have indicated that a bond has been obtained <br /> for $140,000 through DRMS to assure that depletions from groundwater evaporation do <br /> not occur in the unforeseen event or events that would lead to the abandonment of the <br /> gravel pit. In addition, the Kattenburg Pit will be regraded to a final configuration <br /> described in the DRMS permit, with the constructed pond backfilled and reclaimed once <br /> mining is complete, thus eliminating any long-term injurious stream depletions related <br /> to exposure of groundwater. <br /> The currently approved mining permit through the Division of Reclamation, Mining, and <br /> Safety (DRMS) does not contemplate exposed groundwater at the Kattenburg Pit. A technical <br /> revision to the DRMS permit to recognize such groundwater exposure must be obtained by <br /> United. A solution to address potential long-term evaporative depletions resulting from <br /> possible permanent exposure of groundwater at the site will be identified at the time the <br /> DRMS permit is modified. The existing bond is expected to be sufficient to cover backfilling <br /> of the exposed groundwater. <br />