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<br />water quality and at the anticipated future water quality, will not have an adverse impact to the <br />prevailing hydrologic balance. <br />The rational for the original suspension is given in a letter that reviewed past water quality <br />monitoring. Water monitoring was suspended because the operator lost right of entry to the Nu <br />mine portal and due to the closure of the mine, underground water samples could not be taken. <br />The abandoned and sealed workings of the Nu mine are down gradient of the O.C. No. 2 mine <br />and receive water from the O.C. mine through mine working connections. Water discharges . <br />through the Nu portal and into a cattle stock pond. The Nu mine is at least 50 years old. The <br />water quality is very good for mine water discharge; total dissolved TDS levels are in the upper <br />range of EPA drinking water standards and well below the stock watering standards. pH is <br />neutral. Monitoring has not shown trends that indicate that the O.C. Ivfine is influencing the Nu <br />mine discharge. Since the Nu mine and the O.C. mine had started operations over 30 years ago <br />and there will be no additional mining, water quality has reached a steady state. <br />~:. <br />To discontinue the water monitoring the operator must submit a technical revision as required in <br />Rule 1.04(136) . This Wile states that "reduction or termination of approved environmental <br />monitoring programs" are defined as technical revisions. Enclosed is an application form and <br />public notice for technical revision TR-03. <br />Contemporaneous Reclamation <br />Since the permanent closure of the O.C. mine, with the removal of the useful equipment from the <br />site, the Division is expecting that the site be backSlled, graded, topsoiled and seeded by next fall. <br />Rule 4.13 for Contemporaneous Reclamation states that; "reclamation efforts, including, but not <br />limited to, bacldilling, grading, topsoil replacement and re vegetation, of all land that is disturbed <br />by surface coal mining operations shall occur as contemporaneously as practicable with mining <br />operations". To meet the requirements of this Rule, the Division expects that the O.C. mine be <br />backfilled graded, topsoded and seeded by the fall of 1995. The Division's part of this mid-term <br />review is requiring that the operator revise the permit to include a reclamation time schedule to <br />complete backfllling, grading, topsoil redistribution and seeding by November 1, 1995. This <br />revision will be MR-01 and an application form is attached. <br />SECTION VI -BONDING SUMMARY <br />The Division currently holds a bond of $37,700. The Division reviewed the reclamation liability <br />in November 1994 and deternuned that the bond was adequate to cover the remaining <br />reclamation. The reclamation liability estimate is attached. The following is a summary of the <br />bonding activities that have occurred since the issuance of the last permit renewal. <br />In December of 1992, the The First National Bank of Gunnison notified the Division that they <br />were canceling letter of credit No. 025. The Division then cashed this letter of credit and <br />deposited it into a state account. This is maintained as a cash bond. <br />O.C. Mine, Midterm Review 4 February 9, 1995 <br />