REP15831

• Permit No: C1981071
• IBM Index Class Name: Report
• Doc Date: 4/17/1986
• Doc Name: WATER QUALITY ISSUES AT MINES 1 2 3 AND ECKMAN PARK PN C-81-071 AND C-036-81
• From: MLRD
• To: COLO YAMPA COAL CO
• Permit Index Doc Type: HYDROLOGY REPORT
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Richartl D. Lamm
Governor
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Davitl H. Getches. Enecutive Director
MINED LAND RECLAMATION DI\
DAVID C. SHELTON, Director
April 17, 1986
Mr. Richard Mills
Colorado Yampa Coal Company
29588 Routt County Road 27
Oak Creek, Colorado 80467
Re: Water Quality Issues at Mines Nos. 1, 2, 3 and Eckman Park -
File No. C-81-071 and C-036-81
Dear Mr. Mills:
Recently the Division completed a review of your 1985 Annual Hydrologic
Reports. Our comments on the reports were forwarded to you by letter on, As
we indicated in that letter the Division has identified several additional
water quality items that need to be addressed, The items pertain to water
quality standards applicable to Foidel Creek, Fish Creek, Middle Creek, and
Trout Creek. This letter will provide you with the specifics of our concerns
and discuss how these issues might be resolved.
Our review of your 1985 hydrologic monitoring data reveals that segments of
Foidel and Middle Creek contained high levels of Total Dissolved Solids
(TDS). The TDS is attributed primarily to elevated sulfate, calcium, and
magnesium levels. The Division has compared the TDS levels to published crop
salt tolerance levels for irrigated crops grown in the region to ascertain the
seriousness of the situation.
As you know, the Water Quality Control Division has not adopted any receiving
stream standards for TDS. However, the Mined Land Reclamation Division (MLRD)
Alluvial Valley Floor (AVF) regulations do specify crop salt tolerance
standards for assessing material damage in Rule 2.06.8(5)(c)(i). This Rule
references threshold electrical conductivity (EC) levels for various crops
contained in "Crop Salt Tolerance - Current Assessment" by E. V. Maas and
G. J. Hoffman, Journal of the Irrigation and Drainage Division, A.S.C.E.,
1977. This reference was also in the original Federal Permanent Program
Regulations.
The Division has made affirmative findings for the existance of alluvial
valley floors (AVF) along portions of Foidel Creek, lower Fish Creek, lower
Middle Creek, and lower trout Creek.
Although AVF determinations and vegetation inventories have not been made for
all areas downstream from your mines, the Division examined salt tolerance
levels for various cropps which are typically grown in the Yampa River Basin,
such as alfalfa, timothy, smooth brome and orchard grass. For the purposes of
the assessment we utilized a soil extract EC suspect level of 1500 umhos/cm.
423 Centennial Building, 1313 Sherman Street Denver, Colorado 80203 Tel. [phone]