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,- <br />Mountain Coal Company <br />West Elk Mine <br />Post Office Box 591 <br />Somerset, Colorado 81434 <br />Telephone 970-929-5015 <br />February 3, 1998 <br />RECEIVED <br />FEB 0 5 1998 <br />Division of Minerals 8 Geo <br />911 <br />Mr. Michael Boulay <br />Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology <br />1313 Sherman Street, Room 215 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii <br />999 <br />~~ <br />RE: 1996 Annual Hydrology Report (Second Response); West Elk Mine; <br />Permit No. C-80-007 <br />Dear Mike: <br />Mountain Coal Company (MCC) has reviewed the additional adequacy questions <br />posed by the Division in a letter dated January 13, ]998. MCC provides the <br />following additional information. The questions previously resolved are not <br />included in this response. <br />2. Table 1 was inadvertently left out of the revised pages. It is enclosed with <br />these responses. <br />3. Please recall from previous conversations and responses that water is not held <br />in these sumps for a long period of time. They are usually pumped as needed, <br />and are simply a collection area for operation and inflow water to accumulate <br />for pumping out of the mine. As such, no water has been "stored" in these <br />sumps, but water is accounted for (by flow meter) when it is pumped out of the <br />mine. Nonetheless, when the NETG sump was constructed, the maximum <br />detention capacity was 900,000 gallons. Due to sediment accumulation over <br />time, the capacity is probably about two-thirds the original capacity, or <br />approximately 600,000 gallons. The maximum detention capacity of the slope <br />sump is approximately 375,000 gallons. <br />To clarify the response provided in MCC's previous letter: MCC has and will <br />continue to take measurements at the North Fork Lower Station as part of the <br />regular monitoring program and if a discharge sample has exceeded effluent <br />limitations. <br />6. MCC will revise the calculation presented in question #40 of the TR#80 (PHC) <br />responses. However, the analyses will not be same as the calculation presented <br />in the AHR, as the AHR represents the 1996 water year, and the calculation <br />presented in the PHC represents calendar year 1996. <br />