2003-10-10_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1981018

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9 Apri12003 -The Division meets with BME at the Denver office. 9 July 2003 -The Division sends BME a final adequacy letter. 28 July 2003 -The Division received copies of letters BME sent to the BLM and Rio Blanco County regarding the on-site disposal of demolition debris. The BLM subsequently denied this request from BME, therefore, all non-concrete demolition debris will be disposed of off-site. Elevations at the mine site range between 5,300 and 5,900 feet above sea level. The permit azea and adjacent areas are characterized by gently rolling to moderately steep landfonns. Slopes range from 0 to 6 percent in the valleys and level uplands and up to 50 percent on drainage sideslopes. The area is semi-arid and chazacterized by light rainfall, low relative humidity, and moderate winds. Mean annual precipitation is 9 to 10 inches, with peaks in spring and late summer/early fall. The mine is located in the White River Basin, which is the eastern portion of the lazger Uinta Basin. The mine lies within the interbedded sandstone and siltstone strata of the Mesaverde Group in the Williams Fork Formation. The Mesaverde Group consists of the Lower Iles Formation and the Upper Williams Fork Formation, which are sepazated by the Trout Creek Sandstone. The Williams Fork Formation is further divided into upper and lower members. The Lower Williams Fork Member contains coal bearing seams "A" through "H." The "B" and "D" seams will be recovered at the Deserado Mine. The dip of the Mesaverde Group within the permit azea is controlled by the asymmetric Red Wash Syncline, which strikes northwest southeast. Dips vary from 7 degrees in the southern part of the permit azea, horizontal at the synclinal axis, to as much as 70 degrees on the north flank of the syncline. The coal and sandstone beds outcrop along this steep northern flank. Stmcture and local topography are the main factors that control ground water movement in the azea. The Williams Fork Formation is divided into three hydrologic units: The Sandstone Facies, which underlies the "A" coal seam and is generally equivalent to the Trout Creek Sandstone and the upper portion of the Iles Formation; the siltstone and Coal Facies, which consists of the interbedded coal, siltstone, and shale strata of the Lower Williams Fork Formation; and the upper Sandstone Facies of the Upper Williams Fork Formation. A fourth hydrologic unit is the alluvium of the White River and its tributaries. The maximum thickness of the White River Alluvium near the permit area was found to be 37 feet. Groundwater in the alluvium occurs in an unconfined condition. No major usage of groundwater in or adjacent to the permit azea has been defined by the permittee. Due to the generally low yield and poor quality of aquifers in the region, high groundwater usage would be unusual. Rechazge of the bedrock aquifers occurs primarily at higher elevations north of the permit azea through infiltration of precipitation in outcrop areas. R