Laserfiche WebLink
2009 AHR Page 2 <br />During 2009, the rail spur lying south of 1.9 Road was reclaimed, graded and seeded. A phase <br />III bond release (SL-5) was approved on the reclaimed conveyor corridor lying south of 1.9 <br />Road, and a permit revision (PR-4) was approved to change the land use at the Unit Train <br />Loadout from Fish and Wildlife to Industrial/Commerical. Halliburton Energy Services <br />purchased the UTL and began construction of their commercial sand plant operations. <br />The general format of this report is the same as in previous years. <br />Surface Water <br />Water flow and quality on the Colorado River is monitored by the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) <br />at various locations. The closest location is Station No. 09095500, which is located upstream <br />approximately 7 miles north east of the mine site. Water quality and flow from this site are used <br />as a general representation of the Colorado River up gradient of the mining operation. There is <br />a diversion to the Government Highline Canal, the addition of Plateau Creek and the addition of <br />other minor drainages between the monitoring site and the mine site. Data Pages SQ-61 <br />through 65 includes information supplied by USGS on this site in 2009. The total flow at this <br />site for the Year was 3,227,000 acre-feet which is 116% of the normal average flow for the <br />period 1934 - 2009 (2,776,000). The estimated TDS load for the Year was 1.69 million tons. <br />This estimate is made using converting values for conductivity reported on page SQ-64 to TDS <br />per acre feet and multiplying by the monthly flow in acre feet. The low flow for the Year was <br />recorded as 1300 CFS on January 6, 2009. The river was carrying approximately 0.87 tons of <br />TDS per acre-foot on January 26, 2009, the closest data point. This flow and TDS load equates <br />to approximately 1,131 tons of Total Dissolved Solids, TDS, being carried by the river past the <br />mine that day. The mine discharge on January 12'h (the closest monthly analysis), was 270 <br />gpm @ 1232 mg/I TDS; resulting in approximately 2.0 tons of TDS being discharged. <br />Comparing the calculated TDS load in the River at low flow and the mine discharge near the <br />same date, the maximum increase in the River's TDS as a result of mine discharge would have <br />been 0.09%. <br />This Year's mean daily flow values for the Cottonwood and Rapid Creek flumes are included on <br />data pages SG-47, SH-27, and SI-27. Flow at SWGS-001 is presented graphically on data <br />page SG-48. At site SWGS-01, the stilling well was frozen 1/3/09 through 1/18/09 and 1/21/09 <br />through 1/29/09. The flume was plugged by debris and overflowing from 5/11/09 to 6/14/09. As <br />usual, the flow in these Creeks is largely controlled by the City of Palisade, depending upon <br />their need for domestic water. Also, irrigation water is diverted from the creeks by private water <br />right holders at various locations. Table S09-1 was prepared to show the average monthly <br />flows during the primary irrigation season when low flow in the creeks is critical. Gaps in <br />information are explained above. Minimum recording levels of the flumes are listed at the <br />bottom of Table S09-1. <br />Monitoring on Coal Creek and Jerry Creek was started in 1995. The crest stage gages installed <br />in Coal Canyon drainage and Jerry Creek in 1996 were destroyed by a storm in the summer of