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STATE OF COLORADO <br />DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING AND SAFETY <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman St., Room 215 <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />Phone: (303) 866-3567 <br />FAX: (303) 832-8106 <br />October 8, 2008 <br />Mr. Jerry Nettleton <br />Environmental Supervisor <br />Twentymile Coal Company <br />29515 Routt County Road 27 <br />Oak Creek, CO 80467 <br />Re: Foidel Creek Mine, Permit No. C1982-056, MR230 Adequacy Concerns <br />Dear Mr. Nettleton: <br />COLORADO <br />D IV IS I ON OF <br />RECLAMATION <br />MINING <br />SAFETY <br />Harris D. Sherman <br />Executive Director <br />Bill Ritter, Jr. <br />Governor <br />Ronald W. Cattany <br />Division Director <br />Natural Resource Trustee <br />The Division received Twentymile Coal Company's (TCC) application for a minor revision, MR230, on <br />September 17, 2008. The application was determined to be complete on September 26, 2008. This <br />revision intends to clarify TCC's water handling system and provides follow up to TCC's emergency <br />mine water discharge that occurred in late August of 2008. After review of the application the Division <br />has the following questions for TCC; <br />Permit text on new pages 2.05-50.4 and 2.05-50.5 discusses the Eastern Mining District (IORT) <br />Dewatering Borehole. Included in the discussion are treatment ponds and an 8-inch discharge line <br />buried that diverts discharge to Foidel Creek. Currently these ponds and the discharge line have not <br />been constructed. In some way, the new permit text should reflect an up-to-date discussion of what <br />will actually occur with regarding to mine water handling, treatment, and discharge. Please note with <br />in the permit text which activities are previously approved but have not been implemented on the <br />ground to avoid any confusion regarding water handling procedures. <br />2. New permit text is detailed and descriptive but difficult to follow without a map that clearly shows <br />sump locations, discharge points, discharge volumes, treatment locations, pipeline locations and flow <br />directions in relation to the stream systems. Although, The Division agrees with the necessity of <br />including all these features on Map 24, Surface Facilities, the map contains too much detail at the <br />1:800 scale that much of the information is indiscernible. TCC had previously provided Map 16, Mine <br />Water Balance, (dated 1999) that shows only the key features regarding mine water handling and <br />treatment without the confusion and clutter of the other facilities. An update of Map 16 or a schematic <br />drawing that clearly illustrates only the key features regarding mine water handling and treatment. <br />Direction of flow and amount of discharge would be helpful to include in order to illustrate the water <br />handling system. <br />Office of Office of <br />Mined Land Reclamation Denver • Grand Junction • Durango Active and Inactive Mines