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West Elk Mine 2006 Annual Hydrology Report 32 <br />• 4.2 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 327.39 ac-ft of water was diverted using this water <br />right during WY 2006 (MCC, 2007). It should be noted that in addition to this diversion MCC <br />pumped water directly from the North Fork to the Thermal Event (See Section 4.7) area in the mine <br />in November and December 2005. The pumping rate was about 3,000 gpm until the water pipeline <br />froze in late December 2005. The estimated thermal event pumping totaled about 404.34 ac-ft. <br />Because the Mt. Gunnison Pipeline is a relatively junior water right, it may be called out of priority <br />during the late summer and early fall. In WY 2006, one call was placed on the Mt. Gunnison <br />Pipeline water right from July 9, 2006 to September 15, 2006. The Fire Mountain Canal, Paonia <br />Ditch, Short Ditch, North Fork Farmer Ditch and other minor senior water rights holders <br />implemented the call (Colorado State Engineer, 2007). Out-of-priority diversions are augmented <br />using releases from West Elk Mine water releases to Sylvester Gulch or releases from the East <br />Beckwith Reservoir (a.k.a. Lost Lake Slough). <br />• 4.3 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 Colorado Discharge Permit System (CDPS) Permit No. CO-0038776. <br />As shown on Figure 8, 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 and stipulations that apply <br />to the WWTP are summarized in Table 8. <br />The maximum effluent concentrations for WWTP (007A) during WY 2006 (Table 10) for all <br />regulated parameters were less than the corresponding CDPS limitations (Table 9). There were no <br />numeric effluent exceedences in WY 2006 (WY2006, CDPS -Discharge Monitoring Reports). <br /> <br />December 2007 HydYOGeo, Inc. <br />