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STATE OF COLORADO <br />W1 - <br />DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES I? <br />John W. HickenlooPer <br />WATER DIVISION FOUR 1Y1 - t°t$3 app <br />Office of the State Engineer Governor <br />Department of Natural Resources tA - 10( o1O? <br />M- n,;L - i5a Mike King <br />1871 E. Main St. M _ )q zq - I Executive Director <br />P.O. Box 456 (,V\ - 199 -,o Dick Wolfe, P.E. <br />Montrose, Colorado 81402 th - .).004f - ()`I v? Director/State Engineer <br />Phone (970) 249-6622 <br />Fax (970) 249-8728 <br />Bob W. Hurford, P.E. <br />RECEIVED Division Engineer <br />April 21, 2011 <br />Brian Wilson, Director <br />Montrose County <br />949 N. 2°d Street <br />Montrose, CO 81401 <br />Subject: Gravel Mining Operations Encountering Groundwater <br />Dear Brian, <br />APR ? ??V <br />C)WISIon of gecama on, <br />Mining SO* <br />This letter is provided to you as a follow up to our recent discussion regarding certain agr v_ el pits under Montrose <br />Coun operations and control. Rules exist requiring the County to comply with Colorado water laws and regulations <br />during and after mining. Specifically, by definition, upon excavating should groundwater be exposed, you have just created <br />a well. Given that, by statute, any well must be properly permitted by the State Engineer's Office. <br />My understanding is the County has certain gravel mining operations that are best described as an open ended <br />excavation of terraced deposits in which any seeps or springs encountered are positively drained or directed away from the <br />excavation and back to the stream system in some fashion or the water is immediately percolated back to the subsurface. In <br />any case, such water encountered during the excavation of these facilities is not ponding and left exposed to the atmosphere <br />in such a manner as to result in increased depletions to the stream system. <br />Based on this understanding, you are not required to obtain a well permit for any gravel mining facilities that fit the <br />above description with special emphasis on the requirement that no groundwater encountered shall be allowed to pond <br />during or after mining operations have been completed. This letter is not intended to exempt any of your facilities from <br />applicable state statutes, rules, and regulations. It simply is a letter to clarify how those statutes, rules, and regulations may <br />apply to certain of your gravel mining facilities. <br />If you have more questions regarding this matter, please contact me at your convenience. <br />Sincerely, <br />Bob W. Hurford, P. . <br />Division Engineer <br />cc: <br />Tony Waldron <br />Division of Reclamation and Mining Safety <br />1313 Sherman St., Room 215 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />RECEIVED <br />APR 25m?py I <br />Division of Reclamation, <br />Mining & Safety