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West Elk Mine 2007 Annual Hydrology Report 34 <br />• 4.2 North Fork Water Rights <br />MCC diverts water for in-mine processes and potable uses from the North Fork of the Gunnison <br />River via the Mt. Gunnison Pipeline water right. Approximately 419.94 ac-ft of water was diverted <br />using this water right during WY 2007 (CDWR, 2008). <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 2007, one call was placed on the Mt. Gunnison <br />Pipeline water right from July 15, 2007 to September 15, 2007. The Fire Mountain Canal, Paonia <br />Ditch, Short Ditch, North Fork Farmer Ditch and other minor senior water rights holders <br />implemented the call (CDWR, Colorado State Engineer, 2008). Out-of-priority diversions are <br />augmented using releases from the West Elk Mine water releases to Sylvester Gulch or releases <br />from the East 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 of the Gunnison River. Both discharges from the WWTP and pond <br />MB-2R are monitored by MCC, as required by the CDPS permit. The seven regulated parameters <br />and stipulations that apply to the WWTP are summarized in Table 9. <br />The maximum effluent concentrations for WWTP (007A) during WY 2007 (Table 10) for all <br />regulated parameters were less than the corresponding CDPS limitations (Table 9). There were no <br />numeric effluent exceedances in WY 2007 (WY2007, CDPS - Discharge Monitoring Reports, <br />MCC (2008)). <br />• <br />June 2008 HydroGeo, Inc.