2012-09-06_REVISION - M2008070 (25)

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Design and Operations Plan Western Gravel E & P Waste Disposal Facility 1.0 ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION 1.1 INTRODUCTION October 24, 2011 Page 1 of 51 On behalf of Western Gravel, LLC (WG), NWCC, Inc. (NWCC) is pleased to present a Design and Operations Plan (DOP) for the proposed Western Gravel E &P Waste Disposal Facility (WGDF) to be located in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The DOP has been prepared in accordance with Colorado Solid Waste Regulations 6 CCR 1007 -2, "Regulations Pertaining to Solid Waste Sites and Facilities" (Regulations) (CDPHE, Effective 3/30/10). The DOP has been prepared in support of a Certificate of Designation (COD) and Special Use Permit (SUP) to construct and operate the proposed WGDF. WG currently operates the WRC Gravel Pit for extraction of construction materials under 112c Reclamation Permit No. M2008070 issued by the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (CDRMS) and a Special Use Permit (SUP No. 09 -07) issued by the Rio Blanco County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). Based upon the mining and reclamation permit, mining and subsequent reclamation activities will be conducted in two phases. Reclamation consists of grading and reseeding former pit areas in order to provide historic rangeland use following cessation of mining activities. Phase 1 encompasses approximately 20.95 acres and Phase 2 a separate 115.44 acre area to the east. Mining operations in Phase 1 are currently approximately 50 percent complete and proceeding from west to east and then south. Oil and gas exploration and development activities in northwestern Colorado generate an exploration and production (E &P) waste stream consisting of drill cuttings and drilling mud that can contain hydrocarbons (e.g. gas and oil) and/or hydraulic fracturing fluids. Oil and gas development activities extend throughout the Piceance Basin area north and south of the facility. WGDF will provide a more local disposal location for regional E &P solid wastes. Currently, Colorado generated E &P waste is reportedly transported as far as Wyoming and Utah for disposal. Since E &P solid waste is exempt from Resource Conservation and Resource Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C regulations, it may be disposed at a solid waste disposal facility. The facility will not knowingly accept hazardous waste. Instead of reclaiming former pit areas as specified in the reclamation and mining permit, WG proposes construction of a solid waste landfill that will accept E &P waste (e.g. drill cuttings, drill mud) and petroleum contaminated soil (PCS) materials. The intent is to use the pits beneficially and respond to the high demand of energy industry E &P waste disposal needs in the region. At WGDF, E &P waste and PCS will be placed in triple lined landfill cells that include leak detection and leachate collection systems in order to provide added surface water and groundwater resources protection. The purpose of this DOP is to provide information associated with the proposed disposal facility to Rio Blanco County (County) and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment ( CDPHE) for review and approval in order to obtain a COD and Conditional Use Permit for the proposed facility. Following the introduction, the DOP is organized into the following 6 Sections including Figures, Tables, and Appendices A through I. • Section 2.0 Facility Data • Section 3.0 Facility Design and Operations • Section 4.0 Site Management • Section 5.0 Landfill Closure and Reclamation • Section 6.0 Post - Closure Maintenance • Section 7.0 References • Figures • Appendices A through I NWCC, Inc.