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<br />1 <br />' 2.0 Existing Site Conditions and Mine Water Discharges <br />' The PCC facility, inclusive of the Roadside and Cameo mines, is an active coal mining and <br />preparation facility. Discharges from the facility are permitted under CDPS for discharge to <br />the Colorado River, Coal Creek, or the Government Highline Canal. Outfalls 001, 002, and 004 <br />are continuous in nature and discharge mine drainage after treatment for settlable solids in <br />underground sumps. Outfalls 005 through 014 are intermittent i^ nature and receive surface <br />water runoff from facility areas via erosion and sedimentation control structures. <br />Based on a review of current and projected flow and salt content (total dissolved solids [TDS]) <br />data for Outfalls 001, 002, and 004, the expected average salt (TDS) loadings will range from <br />a current value of 2,600 pounds to a projected value of 5,200 pounds per day (which is <br />equivalent to 480 tons to 960 tons per year). As indicated by these values, the 2,000 pounds <br />per day or 350 tons per year (whichever is less) threshold for requiring salt minimization/elimi- <br />' nation under the CDPS program is exceeded. A summary of the average salt concentrations <br />and loadings Cor each outfall is presented in Table 1. <br />The source of TDS in the discharges is believed to be dissolved minerals from regional mineral <br />deposits. Analytical data for samples of mine water collected from Outfall 004 during Decem- <br />ber 1992 indicate that the dissolved species corresponding to the reported levels of TDS are <br />t predominately sodium ions and carbonate ions (present as bicarbonate) with lesser quantities <br />of chloride ions and sulfate ions. The presence of these dissolved species in the waters collected <br />' from the mine agrees with the species expected to be present based on the geochemistry of <br />regional geologic formations. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br />1 <br />