Laserfiche WebLink
-2- <br />any sediment treatment facilities. There was evidence that disturbed area <br />drainage flowed into this altered drainage path into a clean water ditch which <br />drained to the river. <br />d. The second location cited was on the south bank of the Purgatoire River, <br />beneath the refuse disposal area conveyor belt. A wooden retaining wall had <br />been constructed beneath the belt for the purpose of catching refuse that <br />occasionally falls off the belt. The wall was constntcted to prevent this refuse <br />from falling onto the Purgatoire riverbank. At the time of the Division's <br />inspection, evidence indicated that disturbed area drainage flowed underneath <br />and through the retaining wall, presumably to the river. A small amount of <br />coal fines was observed on top of some straw bales that were placed, by the <br />permittee, between the retaining wall and the river. <br />e. The third area cited in the Notice of Violation was the drainage area around <br />the coal silos. The approved sediment control for that area required the <br />banking of an access road in the area so that ntnoff from the silo area would <br />flow into a ditch and on to a pond. This road bank had been in place prior <br />to the Division's inspection. At the time of the inspection, however, the <br />operator had removed the bank of the road, and built a berm up between the <br />road and the ditch with material from apre-law area. Runoff bypassed the <br />berm and ditch, and flowed offsite past several temporary straw bales. The <br />flow path led to the Purgatoire River. <br />f. The fourth location was near the west Reno mattress-lined ditch at the refuse <br />disposal area. A Reno mattress is a form of ditch lining material composed <br />of rocks within wire baskets. The west Reno mattress-lined ditch collects <br />disturbed and undisturbed area drainage and routes it to Sedimentation Pond <br />8. It was apparent that the rocks in one of the mattresses bunched up due to <br />a storm event and reduced the capacity of the ditch. Runoff flowed out of the <br />ditch, down a road and offsite. An emergency collection ditch had been built <br />by the operator to intercept the water that had escaped the Reno mattress ditch <br />and route it to Pond 8. However, there was evidence that indicated some <br />untreated water did go offsite. <br />3. The Division recommended that the Board uphold NOV C-94-018. <br />4. Basin Resources, Inc. presented evidence and/or testimony that: <br />a. On August 3, 1994 the mine site experienced a precipitation event which <br />exceeded the 10-year, 24-hour event. The 10-year, 24-hour event is 2.90 <br />inches of rainfall. Ina 24-hour period, the mine site received 2.99 inches of <br />rain, 2.6 inches of which fell in a 4-hour period. Rainfall data was obtained <br />front acontinuously-recording rain gauge located on top of the Pond 8 dam. <br />b. Immediately after the storm, Basin Resources began cleanup operations. A <br />three-day labor strike prevented work from being done on those days. The <br />