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BIERIIA clue .. ABerox coxer. co, trlc. q5
<br />Ob Y ws /!d 11 II Ieel
<br />wurae diwhsrge. 81mp1e erwloa over the Cv. 1979), wart prasted sub nom. isbvtrtrn-
<br />materlai surlma, resulting in the discharge manta! ProteaLion AQenry v. N~tlona!
<br />of water and other mataiab lnW navigable Crushed 9tons Aaoelstioa, - U.B. -,
<br />water, does not mwtltutQ a point wuroe 100 S.Ct 1011, 88 LEd9d 760 (1980), 1T
<br />discharge, absent wme effort to change the coal producer, smog; other, challenged
<br />aurfsa, to threat the watetflow er other. ngalatfom promulgated by the Envhron•
<br />wise Impede ita progress. Examples of mearal Proteotlon Agemy under the Act,
<br />point worts pollutlon to the presort ease, elalmieg the ragulatlom mold have been
<br />aemrdiag to the Government, ere the mlleo- 1nLerpnted W apply W eurfaw runoff that
<br />lion, and subsequent paeoolatlan, of eurfeee does not fit within the polar worts etatuW
<br />water 1n the pits themsalva. BedhaenL ry definition. Bpaclfically, the regulattona
<br />basins dug by the minors wad desigaad to covered "diwhargea whkh are pumped, a1-
<br />oolleat eadiment are ifkewlw point eouroea phoned ar droned from coal storage.' 40
<br />under the Govarnment'~ v[ew oven hough C•F.R $480.20 (1979); 906 Fad at 260.
<br />the material wen carried away from Lhe The Fourth Cirmi; notlng only that the
<br />bsalm by gravity flow of rainwater. defWtlofi of point aeuras "a:oludas anehan-
<br />[2-4] we agree with the Governmen!'~ "
<br />argument, Gravity flow, resulting in a dia-
<br />eharge into a navigable body of water, may
<br />he part of a po{rat wore discharge if the
<br />miner, at least initially mllac4d or ehas-
<br />oeled the water wad other materleL. A
<br />point source . o[ pollution may also be
<br />present whore miner dalgn spoil piles
<br />!rom dlscerded-bverburden such Lhe; durv
<br />irtg periods of predpitatlon, erceton of aptnl
<br />pile malt reaulte is dieehargw into a navi-
<br />gable body of water by means of ditehas,
<br />gullies and atmllar mnveyanae, even if'Lhe
<br />miner hsva done nothing beyond the men
<br />mllectloa of tcek end ether matarlale. The
<br />ultimate question ie whether pollutants
<br />were discharged from "disotreible, ma-
<br />flned, and dieente mnveysoee[a]" either by
<br />gravitational or oongrsvitatioaal mean.
<br />Nothing in the Aot nlievee miaen from
<br />]lability simply because the operator did
<br />not actually construct those mnveyanoae, w
<br />bag m they ere reasonably h'kely to be the
<br />means by which pollutants ate ultimately
<br />deposited into a navigable body of water.
<br />Conveyances of pollution formed either as n
<br />result of natural erosion or by material
<br />meara, and which wnetltute a component
<br />of s mine drainage system, may fit Lhe
<br />statutory definition and thereby subject the
<br />apentor to liability coder the Act
<br />The eaeea which were not decided until
<br />after the dbkrict wort decision tend t0 aup•
<br />pon the view adopted hen. 1n (`,oneolida•
<br />tloa Coal Co. v: Coatle, 604 F2d Z49 (4th
<br />aslad wad uamlleeted surfam waters, Ap
<br />pakahian Power Cu r, 4}rfn, tk6 F.Yd 1861,
<br />1878 (4th Cir. 1978), nfuead to overturn the
<br />regtdatlom on Lhsv face, delaying oonsideh
<br />anon of the issue Wn the absence of • full
<br />factual background." 804 F2d at 8490.
<br />Ualted 6kaus v. Earth 9dsncee. Ire., 699
<br />F.Ed 898 (10th Cir. 1978), Involved applica-
<br />tion of the Act to a gold lawhing prooeea
<br />Then, se unusually rapid melting of snow
<br />caused primary and reserve pumps, do-
<br />signed to cetrh excem rnnoff wad gold leach-
<br />ate, Lo overflow, resaltng in the discharge
<br />of a po8ut}nt into a wreak. TM United
<br />States brought an enforcement action un•
<br />der the Art, charging the mine had dis•
<br />charged a pollutant into navigable water
<br />fnm a point wuroe. After dispceing of
<br />defendant's argument that mining is atrlet-
<br />ly a noepolnt wura of pollution, the Tenth
<br />Circuit considered whether overflows from
<br />Earth 9efence's opentiona wen pout
<br />worse, and whether these had actually
<br />been a diaeharge under the Aet Earth
<br />SelenoU argued the ntennce to "mnvey-
<br />ance" in Lhe point worm definition, 88 U.B.
<br />C.A. $ 1882(14), requhee a ditch or pipe, "or
<br />wme instrpmeat intended to be wed w ^
<br />conduit" In rejaetiag defandant'e sp-
<br />prowl>, the mart found,
<br />The undisputed fwts demonetnte the
<br />mmbinatlon of sumps, ditches, heeee end
<br />pampa fe a circulating or drainage system
<br />to serve this mining operation,
<br />9 >t:9019 ZE9 EOE «'1d30 Mtll ~t10~ W9d OZ:It 46-4 -Z '0~ 9NINIW 1tl0~ W~Bd:A9 1N3S
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