Laserfiche WebLink
Mountain Coal Company <br />Weat Elk Mlne <br />Post Office Box 597 <br />Somersd, Cobrado 87434 <br />Telephone 970955075 <br />Fax 970 955595 <br />_r,-. _~ <br />FHB " 3 iS9~ <br />February 10, 1997 <br /> <br />Mr. Michael Boulay <br />Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology <br />1313 Sherman Street, Room 215 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />III IIIIIIIIIIIII III <br />999 <br />~ Vr~`~~ <br />FEB ~ 8 i5~;; r <br />u.~~s~on of wunerals b, , . <br />RE: Responses to Request for a Revision to Improve Hydrologic Monitoring Program; <br />West Elk Mine; Permit No. C-80-007 <br />Dear Mr. Boulay: <br />Mountain Coal Company (MCC) has reviewed the Division's request to update certain sections of <br />the West Elk Mine's Annual Hydrology Report (AHR), and provides the following responses <br />presented in the same order as the requests listed in the December 9, 1996 letter of the same <br />subject. <br />MCC believes that accurate and meaningful data has been collected and continues to be <br />collected for mine water quality. In the 13 years of mining in the West Elk Mine, inflows <br />have been very small, and usually were expressed as roof drips and seeps, which did not <br />produce enough water to sample. Flows rarely exceeded 50 gpm and diminished quickly <br />(i.e., within a few days or weeks). As such, please understand that the inflows that occurred <br />in the 1996 and 1997 water years were unprecedented. MCC has taken a number of <br />samples of these two large inflows to ascertain the sources of this water and to determine <br />possible treatment needed, if any. MCC takes water quality samples as close to the sotuce <br />as safely possible. During the initial stages of the large inflow, samples could not be taken <br />directly from the source until flows diminished, allowing safe access. MCC will revise page <br />2.05-81 to state that quality information will be collected on mine inflows as close to the <br />source as safely possible to properly characterize the water quality. This revised page will <br />be provided in a minor revision application under separate cover. <br />2. MCC believes that an accurate account of the quantity of mine inflows encountered has <br />been collected. MCC requests further clariScation and/or examples as to the Division's <br />request to revise the permit to reflect monitoring and reporting of mine inflows in greater <br />detail. Currently, the permit requires that mine maps are provided showing the locations of <br />mine inflows as well as the quantity, duration, and source of inflows. MCC addresses mine <br />water routing and the sumping of water in the upcoming Probable Hydrologic <br />Consequences (PHC) technical revision application to be sent under separate cover. MCC <br />is also considering alternative designs for along-term plan to pump water from the mine <br />