ENFORCE27434 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 999 STATE OF COLORADO DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY Depanmenl of Natural Resources 131 J Sherman 51., Room 215 Denver, Colorado 80207 Phone: 130]1 866~J567 FA%:13071 8 7 28106 Date: September 26, 1994 To: Michael B. Long, Division Director From: Susan J. McCannon, Coal Program Supervisor Re: Rewmmendation to Deny Request for Vacation of NOV C-94-020 II~~~ DEPARTMEI~rI' OI NATURAI RESOURCE' Roy Romer Governor lames 5. lochhwd Executive Director Michael 8 long Diviaon Diredo~ On August 12, 1994, the Division issued NOV C-94-020 to Basin Resources for the pertnittce's failure to maintain the principal spillways of two ponds constructed at the New Elk Mine. Both of these spillways were leaking at the time of the inspection, and the operator was unable to repair the leaks prior to the conclusion of the Division's inspection that began on August 10, 1994, and ended on August 12. The Division received the request for vacation on September 12, 1994. Basin has had previous experience with leaking principal pond spillways. During 1993, at the Golden Eagle Mine, Basin Resources was cited for discharging "black" water from one of its sediment ponds. When the permittee attempted to close the gate on the dewatering device, drainage continued to leak past the gate. Subsequent investigations by the petmittee indicated that the spillway culvert had a crack in it, and Basin had to excavate the culvert to repair the crack. During the week immediately preceding the August 1994 oversight inspection, the New Elk Mine received a rainfall event large enough that Pond 008, the MSHA impoundment situated below the refuse pile and immediately adjacent to State Highway 12, was filled to within a foot of the primary spillway inlet. At the time of the August 10-12 inspection, OSM and DMG inspectors observed that a leaking horizontal seam in the vertical riser of the primary spillway was allowing water to flow from the pond into the spillway and then to discharge. The level of the leak in the riser was approximately seven to eight feet below the level of the water in the pond. The pemtittee was unable to repair the spillway leak by the end of the State's inspection. Additionally, at Pond 007, the permittee opened a closed gate on that pond's dewatering device during the oversight inspection. When the permittee attempted to close the gate, the permittce could not do so without the gate leaking. The permittce was also unable to correct this problem by the end of the inspection.