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-- <br />COLORADO MATER QUALITY CONTROL COMMISSION <br />~R ~~rea <br />PETITION FOR AMENDMENT OF WATER QUALITY STANDARDS 1985 <br />IN THE MATTER OF MATER QUALITY STANDARDS FOR JUN 2 3 <br />SEGlgNT 13 OF THE YAMPA RIVER ~~'~"3OL COI~b~~ <br />Colorado Yampa Coal Company ("CYCC") submits the following Petition for <br />Amendment of Water Quality Standards applicable in Segment 13 of the Yampa <br />River. <br />not on national forest lands. <br />The Colorado Water Quality Control Commission ("Commission") adopted use <br />classifications and water quality standards for the Upper Colorado River Basin <br />on April 1, 1980, and most recently amended them on February 4, 1985. The Yampa <br />River is part of the Upper Colorado River Basin. Segment 13 of the Yampa River <br />consists of the mainstem of Trout Creek, including all tributaries, lakes and <br />reservoirs, from the source to the confluence with the Yampa River, which are <br />The Commission designated Segment 13 of the Yampa River as Recreation Class <br />I, Aquatic Life Class I (Cold Water), and designated uses of Water Supply and <br />Agriculture. See 5 CCR 1002-8, page 26. <br />CYCC proposes that the water quality standards for Segment 13 be changed to <br />reflect ambient water quality conditions. The raw data establishing the ambient <br />conditions are set forth on Appendix B. In support of its Petition, CYCC states <br />as follows: <br />CYCC seeks the above changes because its NPDES Permit CO-0027154 (the <br />"CYCC Permit") contains effluent limitations based on the current <br />standards. The CYCC Permit allows discharge into Foidel Creek, a <br />tribuatary of Trout Creek, which is a water quality limited stream. <br />CYCC has been issued Notices of Violation and Cease and Desist Orders, <br />alleging violations of the CYCC permit, and punitive action is <br />pending. If this petition is granted, CYCC will request an amendment <br />to its Permit to reflect the changes in the standards. The standards <br />currently in effect are unjust and will accordingly lead to <br />unnecessary and imminent economic hardship to CYCC. <br />New evidence indicates that concentrations of certain metals in the <br />ambient streamflow exceed the current stream standards in Segment 13. <br />Figure 1 illustrates graphically the number of samples of ambient <br />streamflow which exceeded stream standards. Figure 1 is expressed in <br />terms of the ratio of the number of ambient samples which exceeded <br />stream standards to the total number of samples taken. The data set <br />forth on Figure 1 were obtained at the locations shown on the attached <br />map entitled "Twentymile Park Surface Water Baseline Hydrologic <br />Sampling Stations". All of the samples were taken under conditions.; <br />which were undisturbed a e e samp a was taken. Therefore, ' <br />the a.a represent am6tent condtttons wtthtn Segment 13. Data points <br />incl Appendix A contains a bibliography of the sources <br />used to construct Figure 1. <br /> <br />