HYDRO23461

• Permit No: M1982090
• IBM Index Class Name: Hydrology
• Doc Name: RATIONALE CAMP BIRD MINE CHIPETA MINING CORP OPERATOR OF THE CAMP BIRD VENTURE AND CAMP BIRD COLO IN
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, Water Quality Control Division
Rationale - Page 10. Permit No. CO-0026981
CHANGES SINCE PUBLIC NOTICE: (Continued)
The Regulations for the State Discharge Permit System, 6.1.0 (amended 4/14186,
effective 5/30/86) further define this requirement under 6.12.0 and states:
"Where economic, environmental, public health, and affected persons have been
considered in the classifications and standards setting process, permits written
to meet the standards may be presumed to have taken into consideration economic
factors unless:
(a) Anew permit is issued where the discharge was not in existence at the time
of the classification and standards rulemaking, or
(b) In the case of a continuing discharge, additional information or factors
have emerged that were not anticipated or considered at the time of the
classification and standards rulemaking.
The issues of economic, environmental, public health, or energy impacts of
meeting proposed water quality standard-based effluent limitations have been
raised by the permittee in the Camp Bird Venture comment letters. The division
requested any additional information relative to these issues by letter of April
20, 1987 and the permittee responded by letters of April 29, 1987 and June 2,
1987.
Based on a review of all available information, including material submitted by
Camp Bird Venture, the division concludes that the water quality standard based
effluent limitations of this permit are reasonably related to the economic
environmental, public health and energy impact to the public and affected
persons.
In addition, Federal Resources at the previous rulemaking hearing did not
participate as one of the private sector entites which were identified
concerning potential economic impacts as a result of the proposed standards in
the basin. At the time of the hearings for the water quality standards for the
Gunnison and Lower Dolores River Basin, the Water Quality Control Commission
concluded that the standards which were adopted were economically reasonable.
After the Commission reconsidered the economic factors at issue in this basin
for the 10/30/86 effective date for the Gunnison River Basin triennial review,
it was concluded the classifications and numeric standards were economically
reasonable both in terms of potential costs that may result, and in terms of the
beneficial uses to be considered.
In the August 12, 1987 comment letter for Camp Bird Venture, the permittee
indicated that during the 1983 standards adoption process that the WQCC did not
have any economic information before it from the area mining companies which
were generally inactive at that time and the companies were not in a position to
develop presentations or data for the Commission. Presently, Camp Bird Venture
is developing economic information to be presented before the Commission at the
time when the water quality standards for Segment 9 will be reevaluated. This
permit will be reopened for reevaluation of metals limits as soon as requested
by Camp Bird Venture after the effective date when the Commission has made any
changes in the Segment 9 standards.