2011-03-07_REVISION - C1981019

• Permit No: C1981019
• IBM Index Class Name: REVISION
• Doc Date: 3/7/2011
• Doc Name: Review Letter
• From: Division of Water Resources
• To: DRMS
• Type & Sequence: PR3
• Email Name: JHB
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES

March 4, 2011
P. 0:??011
Janet Binns, Environmental Protection Specialist
Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety
1313 Sherman Street, Room 215
Denver, Colorado 80203 _
John W. Hickenlooper
Governor
Mike King
Executive Director
Dick Wolfe, P.E.
Director/State Engineer
Re: Colowyo Mine, Collom Pit (Permit No. C-1981-019)
Permit Revision Application No. 3
Dear Ms. Binns:
The Division of Water Resources has reviewed the Colowyo Mine, Collom Pit Expansion
(Permit No. C-1981-019) Permit Revision Application. The applicant proposes to expand the
permit area to incorporate the Collom Pit. The expansion will incorporate an additional 16,833
acres (2,244 disturbed acres) into the permit area for a total permit area of 29,084 acres.
Multiple seams within the Collom Pit will be mined through two separate pits in the Collom area.
The coal mining operation is located approximately 28 miles south of Craig in Moffat and Rio
Blanco Counties. The State Engineers Office (SEO) offers the following comments on this
project:
The applicant proposes to "capture storm water that enters the mining operations and
water that occurs on the mining operations and allow it to evaporate or infiltrate the ground."
Though the stream system in the location of the currently proposed Collom mining operation is
not overappropriated, other areas within the permit boundary are in overappropriated stream
systems. All storm/surface/mine water drainage captured within the overappropriated areas of
the mining site are subject to administration. If storm water in the overappropriated stream
systems is not diverted or captured in priority, Colorado water law requires it to be released, or
replacement for evaporation will be required of the impounder/operator/owner of the operation.
The State Engineer's policy requires that all water impounded out of priority be released to the
stream system within a maximum of 72 hours after impoundment. Additionally, If the
construction of any ponds/pits exposes ground water, the pond/pit must be backfilled
immediately until a well permit issued pursuant to CRS 37-90-137(2), allowing the exposure of
ground water in a pond/pit, is obtained from the State Engineer.
Per SEO requirements, wells drilled under Monitoring Hole Notices cannot be converted
to production wells at a later date. The planned dewatering operations (the application indicated
that the water from the dewatering wells will subsequently be used) will require that the
applicant obtain production well permits; if these wells are constructed under MH Notices they
will not be eligible for the required permits. This office recommends that the required non-
Office of the State Engineer
1313 Sherman Street, Suite 818 • Denver, CO 80203 • Phone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
http://water.state.co.us