Laserfiche WebLink
West Elk Mine 2001 Annual Hydrology Report <br />• 4.1 North Fork Water Rights <br />MCC diverts water for in-mine processes and potable uses from the North Fork of the Gunnison <br />River (North Fork) via the Mt. Gunnison Pipeline water right. Approximately 572.1 ac-ft of water <br />were diverted using this water right during WY2001 (MCC, 2002). <br />Because the Mt. Gunnison Pipeline is a relatively junior water right, it is often called out of priority <br />during the late summer and eazly fall. In WY2001, a call was placed on the North Fork from July <br />21, 2001 until September 23, 2001 (Colorado State Engineer, 2002), Out-of-priority diversions <br />were augmented using releases from East Beckwith Reservoir (a.k.a. Lost Lake Slough). <br />4.2 Sanitary Wastewater <br />MCC maintains an activated sludge wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to handle sanitary <br />wastewater generated by the West Elk Mine. The WWTP has been in operafion since 1982 and <br />was enlarged in WY1997 to handle up to 20,000 gallons per day. Discharges are made in <br />accordance with CDPS Permit No. CO-0038776, <br />As shown on Figure 3, the WWTP dischazges into pond MB-2R (004A), where the effluent mixes <br />• with stormwater runoff and surface operations mine water stored in the pond, prior to discharge to <br />the North Fork Both discharges from the WWTP and pond MB-2R aze monitored by MCC as <br />required by the CDPS permit. The regulated parameters that apply to the WWTP aze shown in <br />Table 8. <br />As shown for the WWTP (007A) on Table 9, the maximum concentrations during WY2001 for all <br />regulated parameters were less than the corresponding CDPS limitations (Table 8). There were no <br />numeric effluent exceedances in WY2001. <br />U <br />16 <br />Project n 00301 HydroGeo, Inc. <br />