2010-12-17_REVISION - C1981019 (108)

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RULE 2 PERMITS species due to surface coal mining are discussed as follows. Surface and highwall mining techniques are to extract the coal from the proposed 1406.71 acres in the proposed coal lease. Additional disturbed acreage will be involved with waste -rock disposal sites, mining facilities and access roads. Vegetation and topsoil will be completely removed and stockpiled, making the area temporarily unsuitable as wildlife habitat. This loss of habitat would be short -term in nature, as the area will be concurrently reclaimed as mining progresses and after mining operations cease. As with past operational experience both locally and regionally, it is likely that both the Greater sage - grouse and the Colombian sharp - tailed grouse would return after the rehabilitation of sagebrush and mountain shrub habitats. " 2.05.6 (3)(a) Protection of the Hydrologic Balance Surface Water Surface water will be protected in the mining areas by stormwater management as described in Section 2.05.3(4) of this permit revision application and in the Stormwater Management Plan portion of the Stormwater Discharge Permit and as shown in Exhibit 7, Item 23. Protection includes the use of diversion ditches to route surface water around the mining impact areas. Current surface water rights will not be impacted by mining operations at Little Collom X or Collom Lite. There is no expected long -term measurable impact to the quantity of surface water in Collom Gulch, Little Collom Gulch, Jubb Creek, or any of their tributaries. Surface water amounts that will be used in mining operations will be within the water rights owned by Colowyo. Surface water quality of the three creeks is calculated to only be marginally impacted by mining activities. This marginal impact, described in the Probable Hydrologic Consequences section (Section 2.05.6 (3)(b)(iii) below), will be due to meteoric water being captured in and evaporated from the mine pit during operations, and meteoric water contacting an increased surface area of soil in the vadose zone and thereby theoretically increasing the mass of dissolved solids entering shallow groundwater. These dissolved solids in shallow groundwater may eventually enter the surface water system, with a theoretical increase in dissolved solids in the surface water. This increase is calculated to be small enough to have no impact on the current or projected surface water uses in the Collom Gulch, Little Collom Gulch, and Jubb Creek drainages. Groundwater Groundwater in the vicinity of the Collom mining areas occurs in perched and confined aquifers of limited areal extent within bedrock of the Williams Fork Formation, the Trout Creek Sandstone (a bedrock aquifer of regional extent), and valley -fill aquifers as described in Section 2.04.7. The Williams Fork Formation aquifers have no beneficial use owing to their limited extent and minimal production. The Trout Creek Sandstone is a sandstone unit underlying most of the permit area and extending across much of northwestern Colorado. It contains water of useable quantity and quality as demonstrated by beneficial -use wells near the permit area. The Trout Creek Sandstone is stratigraphically below the rock units proposed to be mined and is separated from those strata by low - permeability layers within the Williams Fork Formation, particularly the KM bed, a regionally- continuous clay layer (see Section 2.04.5 and 2.04.6). Additionally, the Trout Creek Sandstone was removed by erosion north and south of the mining area and so is isolated from the regional perspective. Based on this information, mining is anticipated to have no impact on the Trout Creek Sandstone aquifer. Groundwater in the shallow valley -fill aquifers of the drainages crossing the proposed permit modification area is calculated to be marginally impacted by surface mining activities, as described in the Collom — Rule 2, Page 125 Revision Date: 1/23/09 Revision No.: PR -03