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• Technical Report <br />Addressing Colorado Policy and Guidance Document for the <br />Implementation of Ground Water Points of Compliance for Coal <br />Mining Operations <br />Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology <br />1.0 Goal: Obtain a variance from establishing groundwater compliance points for the <br />Bowie No. 2 longwall coal mine located in Somerset, Colorado where the depth to <br />groundwater is greater than 300 feet. <br />2.0 Objective: Demonstrate and document the variance, if granted, will not compromise <br />the intent of the Colorado Water Control Act (CWCA) and associated Basic Groundwater <br />Quality Standards. <br />3.0 Background <br />Bowie operates the Bowie No. 2 longwall coal mine located near Paonia Colorado (the <br />Mine). The Mine employs 260 people and produces approximately 5 million tons of coal <br />a year. The Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (fornrerly the Division of <br />• Minerals and Geology) granted Bowie and its predecessors a permit to mine at the Bowie <br />No. 2 Mine in 1997 and continue today. <br />The mine is permitted in accordance with the Colorado Coal Mining Reclamation Act, <br />34-33-101 to 137, CRS which became effective in August of 1980. Bowie has been <br />conducting routine groundwater monitoring and submitting environmental reports in <br />accordance with permit requirements, since the mine permit was granted. Mine <br />expansion has occurred over the years which required Bowie to obtain modifications to <br />the existing permit. These permit modifications have included the establishment of new <br />groundwater monitoring points some of which are deeper that 300 feet deep. The three <br />hundred foot depth or greater has been chosen as the point where groundwater <br />monitoring would be exempted because it is believed water deeper than three hundred <br />feet would be associated with non-tributary waters associated with the North Fork of the <br />Gunnison and it is a depth where future groundwater use would be limited or non- <br />existent. <br />Colorado Water Quality Control Division (the Division) requirements include the <br />establishment of a point of compliance in accordance with the following groundwater <br />monitoring guidelines: <br />• The establishment of a groundwater monitoring point where groundwater <br />could be impacted by the current muting operation for which quality standards <br />could be exceeded <br />I <br />