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COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICHEALTHAND ENVIRONMENT, Water Quality Control Division <br />Rationale -Page 2, Permit No. CO-0000132 <br />III. RECEIVING STREAM <br />An assessment of the stream standards, low flow data, and ambient stream data has been performed to determine the assimilative <br />capacities for Elk Creek jot potential pollutants of concern for outfall 015. This information, which is contained in Appendix A to <br />this rationale, also includes an antidegradation review, where appropriate. The Division's Permits Unit has reviewed the <br />assimilative capacities to determine the appropriate water quality-based effluent limitations as well as potential limits based on <br />the antidegradation evaluation, where applicable. The limitations based on the assessment and other evaluations conducted as <br />part of this rationale can be found in Tables VI-I and VI-2 of this rationale. <br />IY FACILITYDESCRIPTION <br />A. Industry Description <br />I. Tvoe oflndustrv: The facility rs an active underground coal mine. Coal is crushed and stockpiled until loaded onto rail <br />cars. Production is approved for 6 million tons per year. Mining at the Sanborn Creek Mine has ceased and the portals <br />have been sealed. Reclamation in the vicinity has begun, surface runoff ponds will remain until reclamation has finished <br />and/or the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology has authorized their removal. Mining continues at the Elk Creek <br />Mine. <br />2. Sources to the Treatment Plant: Surface runofffrom the old Sanborn Creek Mine and the newer Elk Creek Mine is <br />treated in sedimentation ponds. Most is evaporated, discharges ofsurface runoffare rare. Mine water from the Elk <br />Creek Mine is settled underground and pumped to the surface far discharge. Anew potable water treatment plant <br />(WTP) which will be constructed in mid-2004, will routinely discharge backwash water. <br />3. Chemicals Used: The permittee did not specify any chemicals for use in waters that may be discharged other than <br />sodium hypochlorite and Culligan F-86 chemical cationic polymide, which are used in the WTP. Prior to use ofany <br />applicable chemical, the perminee must submit a requestfor approval that includes the most current Material Safety <br />Data Sheet (MSDS) for that chemical However, sodium hypochlorite is a commonly used chemical in WTP and WWTF <br />treatment. It is safe jot discharge providing total residual chlorine limitations are met. Until approved, use ofany other <br />chemical in waters that may be discharged could result in a discharge of pollutants not authorized under thepermit. <br />Thus, the permittee needs to submit asite-spectfu; MSDSfor Culligan F-86 chemical cationic polymide for Division <br />review. Also see Part II.A.I. ojthe permit. <br />B. Wastewater Treatment Description <br />Surface runoff is sealed in sedimentation ponds, mine water is settled in a series of underground sumps and/or sedimentation <br />ponds. WTP backwash is sealed to a sedimentation pond. Specific information can be found in Table II-1. Pond E at the <br />Elk Creek Mine has recently been constructed to serve a new area of disturbance west of previously disturbed areas, outfall <br />017 has been added for discharges from thrs pond. The pond that previously served as mine water sedimentation for the <br />Sanborn Creek Mine has been convened for use as a WTP backwash sedimentation pond, outja11018 is the discharge from <br />this pond. <br />Pursuant to the authority of Article 9, Title 25, Regulations jot the Certification of Water Treatment Plant and Wastewater <br />Treatment Plant Operators, this facility will require a certified operator. <br />V. PERFORMANCE HISTORY <br />A. Monitoring Data <br />1. Discharge Monitoring Reports: Mine water outfalls: Table V 1 summarizes the effluent data reported for outja11011 on <br />the quarterly Drscharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) for the Oxbow Mining, LLC Sanborn Creek Mine and Elk Creek <br />Mine facility from October 2001 through September 30, 2003. Although outfall 011 has permanently ceased discharge, <br />the quality ofoutfall 0/5 is expected to be similar. Outfa11015 did not discharge during this period. <br />Surface runoff outfalls. OutfalTs 007, 009, 010, 013, 014, and 016 did not discharge during the period reviewed. Outfall <br />012 discharged only during the third calendar quarter of 2003, there were no limit exceedences. <br />2. State Sampling: There are no recent state sampling results available for this facility. <br />Lost Revised: 3/19/2004 <br />