GENERAL46014 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

The mining process will produce both fine and coarse slurry which will be held initially in a slurry tank designed to hold raw coal and water. In addition, a thickener plant will be built on site. Both the slurry tank and thickener will be constructed of concrete with a clay base to ensure hydrologic integrity. A diversion ditch around the portals and the surface facilities areas will drain all natural runoff. All runoff from the surface facilities area will be channeled into Sediment Pond A. All excess runoff will be recycled into the hydraulic mining process, via pumping from the sediment pond. Sediment will be removed when 60 percent of the allocated volume has accumulated. In conclusion, no significant impacts to the hydrologic balance are projected for the life-of-mine operation at the Coal Ridge No. 1 facilities. The foregoing discussion has detailed the impacts due to life-of-mine operations at Coal Ridge No. 1 Mine. As previously stated, this five year permit term will entail much less disturbance than the life-of-mine plan. This permit term calls for construction of the surface facilities, thickener, wash plant and temporary refuse pile, and initial development in the coal seam. Total production anticipated during this permit term will be a maximum of 1,000,000 tons of clean coal, with a proposed maximum production of 15,000 tons of coal mine waste. This waste pile will be located in the center of the surface facilities area near the area designated for raw coal storage and handling in the life-of-mine plan. This area will be a specially prepared work/storage pad which will drain into a diversion channel, and ultimately into Sediment Pond A. As this refuse pile will be located on unconsolidated colluvial material, there is the potential for leaching through this waste pile into the colluvial material and ultimately into the alluvial ground water along the Colorado River. Due to the small size of the refuse pile and the clay lined base, it is not expected that any degradation of water quality within the alluvium will occur. The monitoring plan as described previously in this document will detect any changes, if they occur, in the water quality of the colluvial and alluvial material. An analysis of Probable Hydrologic Consequences of the Coal Ridge No. 1 Mine has been performed by the applicant, as required under Rule 2.05.6(3). Several effects from the proposed operations have been identified and were discussed above. These effects are not anticipated to adversely impact the overall hydrologic balance and the operations proposed within the permit application have been designed to prevent material damage to the hydrologic balance outside the proposed permit area. Appropriate measures have been outlined within the application to ensure the protection of the quality and quantity of surface and ground waters within both the proposed permit and adjacent areas, from the adverse effects of the proposed mining activities. _22_