HYDRO24764

• Permit No: C1980007
• IBM Index Class Name: Hydrology
• Doc Date: 2/18/1997
• Doc Name: RESONSES TO REQUEST FOR A REV TO IMPROVE HYDROLOGIC MONITORING PROGRAM WEST ELK MINE PN C-80-007
• From: MOUNTAIN COAL CO
• To: DMG
• Permit Index Doc Type: CORRESPONDENCE
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Mountain Coal Company
Weat Elk Mlne
Post Office Box 597
Somersd, Cobrado 87434
Telephone [phone]
Fax [phone]
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February 10, 1997

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