2011-03-14_REVISION - M1977493 (48)

Home Browse Search

Permit Amendment (AM-06) - Climax Mine CM0000091 average volumetric limitations. • Methods for quantifying the consumptive uses that contribute to stream depletion are described in the readjudication decree. Due to the configuration of the mine pit and underground workings, precipitation that falls onto the mine pit or runoff that drains into the pit is inadvertently diverted from the natural stream system. Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the readjudication decree, 648 acre-feet of such water is considered to be a diversion from Tenmile Creek each year during the months of May through July under one of the Climax water rights. This water infiltrates into the underground mine workings, is pumped through the 5-Shaft Pump System, and can be used for industrial purposes throughout the year on a generally constant basis. G-8.2 Arkansas Well Water Right The water right for the Arkansas Well is separate from the water rights discussed above because this water source is located near the headwaters of the East Fork Arkansas River, on the eastern side of the Continental Divide. The senior water right for the Arkansas Well allows water to be pumped on a constant year-round basis for a maximum total of 786 acre-feet per year. This water may be used for industrial purposes at the Climax Mine and fully consumed in evaporative or other consumptive processes. G-8.3 Water Rights Accounting In accordance with the decrees, streamflow depletions associated with water use at Climax are quantified each month using a detailed accounting form that is submitted to the water rights administration personnel of the Colorado Division of Water Resources. These accounting forms also quantify the volume of water that is diverted to storage or discharged from storage each month. G-9 References Applied Weather Associates.2005. Site-Specific Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) Study of the Climax Tailings Ponds Drainage Basin, Colorado. Monument, Colorado. Applied Climate Services 2009. Review of Site-Specific Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) Study of the Climax Tailings Ponds Drainage Basin. Colorado. Corvallis, Oregon. Colorado Office of the State Engineer, Dam Safety Branch. 2007. Rules and Regulations for Dam Safety and Dam Construction. Colorado Division of Water Resources, Department of Natural Resources. Denver, Colorado. Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC). 1990. HEC-1 Flood Hydrograph Package. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Davis, California. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 1989. Flood Hydrology Manual. U.S. Department of the Interior. Denver, Colorado. U.S. Forest Service. 2002. Soil Survey of Holy Cross Area, Colorado. U.S. Department of the Interior. U.S. Geological Survey. 1982. Guidelines for Determining Flood Flow Frequency, Bulletin #17B of the Hydrology Subcommittee. U.S Department of the Interior. Reston, Virginia. W. W. Wheeler and Associates, Inc. 2005. Climax Mine Tailings Impoundments Hydrology Report. Englewood, Colorado. i Exhibit G G-18 May 2010