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OCT. 15. 199'7 12~06PM ~~~_ DIV/MII~RRLS&GEOLOGY _A,n_000. _ .P d/F. _ III IIIIIIIII IIII III 999 interoffice M E M O R A N D U M to: Michael H. Long from: 1_arry Routten~L subject: Roadside Mine NOV C-97-001; Extension of Abatetneut date: October 14, 1997 Powderhorn Coal Company has requested an eoctensfon of the abatement due date for NOV G 97-001. A copy of their request is attached, along with an extension form whkh I am requesting you sign. I am forwarding this request to you because Dan Mathews, who normally handles affairs for this mine, hoe been ill this week. Here is some background on the NOV. The NOV was issued on January 23, 1997 due to an exceedence of effluent limitt for suspended solids in mine water discharge. The date for abatement of the NOV has been extended several times. The latest due date for abazement was October 9, 1997. The abatement required the operator to submit a permit revision vvkh plans for treazing the mine discharge on the surface prior to discharge and implement those plans. The operator submitted a revision and has been responding to adequacy concerns ideM~ed by staff. The latest adequary responses were received on September 22, 1997. Shortly after receipt of the latest information on September 22, the pivlsion notified the operator that a stability analysis of a pond embankment which was omitted from tfre adequacy responses was required. During the two weeks following September 22, the operator was reminded twke by the D'MSIOn that the stability analysis needed to be sent so the plans could be finalized and, the pond work could be done. The operator indicated they were having problems getting results from chair engineerirfg consukarrc. On Ocroober 10, I phoned the operator to verify whetfier the stability analysis had been sent. k had not. I told the operator that I was preparing aFailure-to-Abate Cessation Order, Wrrchin 90 minuoas, the seabfllty analysis had been FAXED, along with a copy of a request to extend the abatement date. The rEquest for extension had been FAXED m our Grand Junction office earlier in the week but, Dan Mathews had been on sick leave. During my October 10 phone conversation with tfie operator. I vras Informed that another occeedence of the suspended solids affluent limit had been roported m the WQCD earlier that day. The operator indicated shat the water sample which indicted the exceedenrx was collected from water rising through sediment that had been deposited over the end of the discharge pipe by stout runoff in a creek, Thus, it would appear that the latest exceedertte reflects poor sampling procedures rather than poor quality of mine water discharge.