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-----Original Message----- <br />From: Andrew Neuhart [mailto:Ajneuhar@smtpgate.dphe.state.co.us] <br />Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 7:59 AM <br />To: Kaldenbach, Tom <br />Subject: Re: North Thompson Creek Mines (CDRMS Permit C-81-025/CDPSPermit CO-0029599) <br />Tom, <br />on first look, I am not sure why we would terminate this permit. It appears we were under <br />the influence that all discharge has stopped, yet your assessment shows that it has not. I <br />will dig in to this and get back to you. <br />Thanks <br />Andrew Neuhart <br />Industrial Permits Unit <br />Water Quality Control Division <br />4300 Cherry Creek Drive South <br />Denver, CO 80246-1530 <br />phone:303-692-3655 <br />fax: 303-782-0390 <br />email: andrew.neuhart@state.co.us <br />Visit our web site at: <br />www.cdphe.state.co.us/wq/PermitsUnit <br />>>> "Kaldenbach, Tom" <Tom.Kaldenbach@state.co.us> 2/29/2008 4:07 PM >>> <br />Andrew, <br />My office is reviewing an application from the operator of the North Thompson Creek Mines for <br />final release of reclamation bond. In a final bond release my agency would terminate its <br />jurisdiction over the site. <br />This site consists of three underground coal mines in Pitkin and Garfield Counties. <br />I wanted to double-check with your office on the mine's discharge permit <br />CO-0029599 that was terminated in 2005 (see attached WQCD termination letter dated 4/20/06). <br />I am trying to verify that termination of the discharge permit accounted for the perpetual <br />discharge of iron-laden water from these mines. This mine water currently passes through a <br />three-pond passive treatment system before discharging into North Thompson Creek (at former <br />outfall 001). DRMS termination of jurisdiction over the site would result in no further <br />maintenance requirement for the ponds or the pvc pipe that routes the mine water to the <br />ponds. The discharge has been a fairly constant 20 to 100 gpm since <br />1995 when the mine portals were closed. On one occasion the discharge rose to 150 - 200 gpm <br />for several months. <br />Several years of monthly sampling between 1986 and 1995 show the discharge is always <br />alkaline, with potentially dissolvable iron content usually less than 1 mg/1, but <br />occasionally rising to around 7 mg/1. The most recent sample was from April 2007 when the <br />discharge was estimated to be 10 gpm and a lab sample found total iron of 6.8 mg/l (North <br />3