Laserfiche WebLink
~ STATE C <br />OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER <br />Division of Wa[er Resources <br />Department of Natural Resources January 25, 2000 <br />1313 Sherman Stree[, R6om 818 <br />Denver, Colorado 80303 <br />Phone: (3031866.3381 <br />F,iX. (7031 866-3389 <br />http!lwater.natem.usi default. htm <br />J.E. Stover <br />J.E. Stover & Associates <br />2768 Compass Dr ,Ste 101 <br />Grand Junction, CO 81506 <br />RE: Bowie Mine No. 2 Substitute Supply Plan <br />Sections 15, Township 13 South, Range 91 West, 6th P.M., <br />Water DIvlslon 4, Water District 40 <br />Dear Mr. Stover: <br />~~.0 4 <br />~~ ~8 <br />'ra s' <br />dill Cwene <br />C°vtt~a <br />Greg E. welcher <br />cvecvriva GbaCrcr <br />Hal D. Sim°s°n. P.F. <br />7W~C engicCtt <br />We have completed review of your request on behalf of Bowie Resources Limited (Bowie) for a substitute <br />water supply plan the Bowie Mine No. 2. The mine is located on an unnamed tributary of the North Fork <br />Gunnison River, which is downstream of Hubbard Creek and upstream of Terror Creek. Three sedimentation <br />ponds are to be constructed on-site to capture runoff. The normal water surface will be maintained at the level of <br />the outlet. Immediately following storm events the water level will be higher, but only for a short period of time. <br />• Filling and evaporation from these ponds must be augmented during times of call. <br />The plan proposes to replace evaporation from fhe sedimentation ponds with Eas[ Beckwith No. 1 Reservoir <br />water. (Note that depending on the river Call status at the time, replacement water may also be necessary for the <br />filling of the sedimentation ponds that occurs in the dead storage pool, since this water cannot be released during <br />a call.) Bowie claims a lease of 25% of the 383 acre-toot storage water right remaining of that originally decreed <br />in Case No. 2563, per abandonments in Case Nos. 89CW121 and 92CW57, which amounts to 95.75 acre-feet. <br />Note that in Case No. W-3106, 74 acre-feet of the water leased from the reservoir was changed to industrial, <br />domestic and irrigation use for an augmentation plan decreed therein, therefore, 21.75 acre-feet of the leased <br />storage right remains unchanged and is available for use herein. Although Case No. W-3106 required <br />replacement releases at a rate of 1.852 times the diversion amounts from well used to supply water for the <br />Orchard Valley Mine (now known as Bowie Mine No. 1), the decree also stated that "The Division Engineer shall <br />adjust the transportation loss and historic use factor of he deems it necessary to prevent injury...' Therefore, <br />based on consultation with the Division Engineer, the historic use factor of 60% percent is deemed acceptable, <br />and the transportation loss is adjusted to 50%, such that replacement releases are required to be at a rate of 3.33 <br />times the consumptive use of the sedimentation ponds. <br />Annual evaporation is estimated at 1.88 acre-feet, as shown in the attached table titled Pond and Lake <br />Evaporation, and is based on a total surface area of 0.71 acres. This corresponds to the total surface area at the <br />level of the pond outlets. Total dead storage capacity is 1.61 acre-feet. Therefore, maximum potential annual <br />depletions are estimated as 3.49 acre-feet. Attached Page 4 from the Resource Engineering Inc. report of <br />October 19, 1999, provides a table pf the sedimentation pond sizes and capacities, and provides the pond <br />locations. Under this plan depletions are to be replaced at a ratio of 3.33 acre-feet of releases to 1 acre-foot of <br />depletions. Therefore, the maximum potential replacement requirement is 11.62 acre-feet. This leaves 10.09 <br />acre-feet available under the lease. <br />This substitute water supply plan is hereby approved pursuant to Section 37-80-120, C.R.S.. subject to the <br />following conditions: <br />• 1. If written objections to the following conditions are not received by this office and the Division Engineer <br />(Wayne Schleldt, P.O. Box 456, MontrOSe, CO 81402, telephone 970-249-6622) within 20 days Of the <br />receipt of this approval, it will be assumed that the applicant has accepted, and will operate this plan in <br />accordance with, the below conditions. This plan shall then be valid through January 31, 2001, unless <br />