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K VV\ 'IS <br />8z-05 q- <br />ENECi4r??® <br />Seneca Coal Company <br />?Ile <br />03 coal COMPA y <br />D?v\Sior?et a asaferJ <br />NGn`n9 July 28, 2009 <br />Colorado Department of Health <br />WQCD-PE-B2 <br />4300 Cherry Creek Drive South <br />Denver, CO 80246-1530 <br />RE: Quarterly Discharge Monitoring Report for Permit CO-0000221 <br />Dear Sir or Madam: <br />Pursuant to the quarterly reporting requirements contained in Colorado <br />Discharge Permit CO-0000221 for the Seneca Mine Complex, enclosed find <br />the second quarter 2009 discharge monitoring reports for Points 002 to <br />006 and 008 to 017. Intermittent discharges were observed at Points 013 <br />and 014. <br />Due to winter snow, vehicle access to Points 004, 008, 009, 015, 016 <br />and 017 was closed until mid-May. Monthly visits in April were <br />performed by snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle or on foot. <br />One excursion of effluent limits occurred this quarter. On April 23, a <br />total recoverable iron value of 1,810 ug/l was observed at Point 011. <br />The standard listed on the DMR is 1,000 ug/l. However, in August 2008, <br />the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission authorized a temporary <br />modification for the total recoverable iron standard to be set at <br />"existing quality" for Yampa Segment 13e, Grassy Creek, to which this <br />Point discharges to. A copy of this document is attached following this <br />cover letter. It is taken from Regulation 33, Classifications and <br />Numeric Standards for Upper Colorado River Basin. Seneca is currently <br />gathering information to provide to the Commission (by May 31, 2011) <br />what "existing quality" is for this stream segment. <br />This excursion was most likely caused by snowmelt runoff. To document <br />this snowmelt, attached are: 1) three photos of the site the day was <br />taken, 2) a summary of climatological observations for April 2009 at <br />Hayden (indicating a maximum temperature of 74 degrees F on April 23), <br />and 3) a snowpack graph for the nearest Snotel site, Crosho. <br />In regards to the WET test DMRs for Outfalls WTBX, WTHX and WTIX (and <br />their associated DMRs WYBX, WYHX and WYIX); these sites were not <br />sampled this quarter. In a letter dated December 4, 2008, Seneca <br />requested that the Division grant relief from monitoring WET at these <br />Outfalls, in accordance with the Division's Biomonitoring Guidance. On <br />March 20, the Division issued a revised draft permit for Seneca, <br />stating: <br />Seneca Coal Company a P.O. Box 670 • Hayden, Colorado 81639 <br />Telephone (970) 276-5217 • FAX (970) 276-5222