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Mr. Gregg Squire • • Page 2 January 2, 2001 Water that is discharged from the wet screening or processing plant will be treated in one of two ways. 1. Pumped to historically irrigated pasture and used to water the pasture areas. 2. Water is pumped or directed in pipes to either an in pit settling pond or the portion of the pit that is filling with groundwater. If the pond is used, the ponds are nominally 125 feet by 125 feet. The operator visually inspects the ponds to see if the solids are settling. If the solids are not settling fast enough, the operator uses a flocculant to facilitate settling. If the flooded portion of the pit is used, then the solids are removed either by settling to the pit bottom or being removed by the filtering action of the undisturbed sand and grave] as the groundwater moves from the pit area. The choice of the treatment option for the wet screen plant discharge water depends on the location of the in pit facilities relative to historically irrigated fields, the amount of pit area mined, the amount of groundwater in the pit bottom, and the production rate. The operator would like to keep several treatment options open due to the potential to move the in pit crushing and screening plants more than once during the mining life of the pit to minimize haul distances and to be better able to handle the changing pit and mining conditions. A specific layout of the in pit facilities is difficult to provide because it will likely change over the life of the pit to provide the most cost effective in pit crushing and screening operation including treatment of screen plant water discharge. If there are any discharges to the Colorado River of treated water then these will be in compliance with an NPDES permit. The operator is currently preparing an NPDES permit and will not discharge water until this permit is in place. The prevention, containment and or cleanup of any spills from the in pit facilities and the surface facilities including the asphalt plant will be discussed in the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures Plan that is being developed. Please feel free to contact us at the above address if you have any questions concerning this submittal. Sincerely, Balaz & Associates, Inc.. ~~~~~~~ William P. Balaz Jr., P. E. President cc: Steve Wujek, Knight Planning Dick Stephenson & John Martin, Roaring Fork Resources Scott Balcomb, Balcomb and Green Selby Myers, City of Rifle file:\bill\mamm\gsdmgresponsets2