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It is further stated in the second paragraph on Page 8 (Part V.B.1) that "the previous <br />permit stated that all manual discharges must meet primary limitations. This was based <br />on the presumption that manual discharges can be accomplished in such manner that <br />primary limitations could always be met. While this may be true for facilities with <br />automatic dewatering structures, it is not necessarily true for facilities such as this one <br />that have no other option under normal circumstances than to manually empty a pond." <br />It is further stated on Page 8 that "the permittee has reassessed their sedimentation pond <br />system and proposed to convert most or all to the automatic dewatering mode." <br />As mentioned earlier in our memorandum, Colowyo's ponds are currently designed to <br />pass and treat the l0-year, 24-hour precipitation event. These ponds are thus currently <br />designed for "automatic dewatering", in that the l0-year, 24-hour precipitation event is <br />designed to discharge through the pond's primary spillway. These ponds additionally <br />have a secondary spillway, which is designed to safely pass the 25-year, 24-hour event. <br />These ponds may be additionally equipped with manually-operable discharge tubes: <br />however, dischazges through manually-operated dewatering tubes are not currently <br />designed to meet a~ effluent limitations. <br />2. We support WQCD's statement in the first paragraph on Page 10 of the Summary of <br />Rationale that reads, "All manual dewatering of ponds that are equipped with automatic <br />dewatering systems must meet TSS and total iron limitations." We strongly support <br />additional language requiring Colowyo to sample every manual discharge for the <br />purpose of demonstrating that the discharge meets the TSS and total iron limitations. <br />C. Colowyo's September 30, 1997 "Comments on Draft CDPES Permit and Rationale" <br />Colowyo, in their Subsection 1 under their Section "Rationale Document", states that <br />"the numbers used in the table are subject to continuous revision and are, in fact, <br />inaccurate for the containment scenario under which the ponds are currently operated". <br />We repeat: Colowyo's ponds are currently designed to allow the ]0-year, 24-hour <br />precipitation event to pass through [he pond's primary spillway and meet the settleable <br />solids criteria. If Colowyo is operating these ponds under a different scenazio, <br />discharges that occur from these ponds under that different scenario have not been <br />designed to meet any effluent limitations. <br />2... On page 2 of the September 30, 1997 memo, Colowyo states in Section "4.IV.A.2., <br />Sources to the Treatment Plant, Rationale Page 3" that "a significant portion of water <br />at the Colowyo facility is surface runoff that flows by gravity into the pit and, in tum, <br />out of the pit. No pumping is involved." Yet, immediately after this statement, <br />Colowyo requests the WQCD permit Rationale language to read "Once water enters a <br />pit and is subsequently pumped out, it is considered pit pumped water..." {Colowyo's <br />emphasis). <br />