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Mountain Coal and Bear Coal Water Oualitv Assessment CO-0038776 and CO-0044377 For the remaining dischazges to Sylvester Gulch, West Sylvester Gulch, the Dry Fork of Minnesota Creek and Lone Pine Gulch, the full assimilative capacities of these receiving streams aze equal to the stream standazds. Bear Coal Company, Inc.: The Beaz Coal Company, Inc. Bear #3 Mine is a reclaimed coal mine with mine water dischazge located in the SE'/<, Section 8, T13S, R90W; 38° 55' 40'' north latitude, 107° 27' 44" west longitude; on Highway 133, southwest of Somerset, CO. The current design capacity of the Bear Coal mine water dischazge to the North Fork of the Gunnison River is 0.04 MGD (0.06 cfs). Wastewater treatment is accomplished using anon-aerated lagoon. The total design capacity for dischazges of mine water to the North Fork of the Gunnison River by both the Bear Coal and Mountain Coal W WTFs is 0.182 MGD (0.28 cfs). T'he technical analyses that follow for dischazges to the North Fork of the Gunnison River include assessments of the assimilative capacity based on the total mine water design capacity for shared metal pollutants. Nearby Sources An assessment ofneazby facilities based on EPA's Permit Compliance System (PCS) database found 30 dischargers in the Gunnison County azea, including the subject facility. Twenty-five facilities were dischazging to another watershed. Other facilities conducted construction-related operations (e.g., sand and gravel) and thus had no pollutants of concern in common with Mountain Coal and 'Beaz Coa1.WWTFs. Because Delta County is approximately 2 miles downstream, Delta County :dischargers were also assessed..PCS found 31 dischazgers in the Delta County area. Twenty facilities were discharging to another watershed. Other facilities conducted construction-related operations (e.g., sand and gravel) and thus had no pollutants of concern in common with Mountain Coal and Bear Coal WWTFs. The neazest dischargers were: • Oxbow Mining, Ina WWTF (CO-0000132), which dischazges to the North Fork of the Gunnison River and tributaries approximately 1 %2 miles downstream. However, no mine water is dischazged to the North Fork of the Gunnison River, and none of the tributaries that receive mine water discharges from Oxbow's ~'J~JJTFs aze t're same L-ibutaries that receive discharges from the Mountain Coal WWTFs. Thus, it is unlikely that discharges from this facility could impact the assimilative capacities for the Mountain Coal and Beaz Coal WWTFs. Two other coal mining facilities, the Minrec-Blue Ribbon Mine (COG-850009) and the Bowie Resources, Ltd. Bowie No. 1 East and No. 1 West Mines (formerly CO-0033685, now COG-850043) dischazge surface runoffwater to tributaries to the North Fork of the Gunnison River a few miles downstream in Delta County. However, as previously stated, surface runoff dischazges aze not considered to impact the assimilative capacities because these dischazges do not occur during periods of crifical low flow. Thus, these facilities are not considered in this assessment. Additionally, the Bowie Resources, Ltd. Bowie No. 2 Mine (CO-0044776) dischazges mine water and surface runoff water to tributaries to the North Fork of the Gunnison River more than five miles downstream. However, the assimilative capacity calculations were not affected by downstream contributions from the Bowie Resources, Ltd. Bowie No. 2 Mine W WTF due to the significant dilution, distance traveled and the changes in receiving stream chazacteristics. Appendix A Page 13 of 20 Last Revised 3/9/2004