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West Elk Mine 2004 Annual Hydrology Report 25 <br />• 4.1 North Fork Water Rights <br />MCC diverts water for in-mine processes and potable uses from the North Fork via the Mt. <br />Gunnison Pipeline water right. Approximately 469 ac-ft of water were diverted using [his water <br />right during WY 2004 (MCC, 2005). <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 early fall. In WY 2004, one call was placed on the Mt. Gunnison <br />Pipeline water right from July 9, 2004 to September 22, 2004. The total call was 112.25 acre-feet, <br />by the Fire Mountain Canal, Paonia Ditch, Short Ditch, North Fork Farmer Ditch and other minor <br />senior water rights holders (Colorado Stale Engineer, 2005). Out-of-priority diversions aze <br />augmented using releases from West Elk Mine water releases to Sylvester Gulch or releases from <br />the 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 continuous operation since <br />1982 and was enlarged in WY 1997 to handle up to 20,000 gallons per day. Discharges are made <br />in accordance with CDPS Permit No. CO-0038776. <br />As shown on Figure 3, the WWTP discharges into pond MB-2R (004A) where the effluent mixes <br />with storm water runoff and the mine surface operations water stored in the pond, prior to <br />discharge to the North Fork. Both discharges from the WWTP and pond MB-2R are monitored by <br />MCC, as required by the CDPS permit. The seven regulated parameters that apply to the WWTP <br />are shown in Table 8. <br />As shown for the WWTP (007A) on Table 9, the maximum concentrations during WY 2004 for all <br />regulated parameters were less than the corresponding CDPS limitations (Table 8). There were no <br />numeric effluent exceedances in WY 2004. <br />• <br />August 2005 HydroGeo, Inc. <br />