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energy fuels coal, inc. <br />southfield mine • post office box 459 • florence, colorado 81226 • (719) 784 -6395 <br />December 21, 2012 <br />Ms. Janet Binns — Reclamation Specialist <br />Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining & Safety <br />1313 Sherman St — Room 215 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />RE: Technical Revision No.40 (TR -40) - Southfield Monitor Well MW -NW <br />Energy Fuels Coal, Inc. — Permit No. C -81 -014 — Southfield Mine <br />Dear Janet Binns: <br />L'1 <br />RECEIVED <br />DEC 3 1 2012 <br />nixision of Reclamation, <br />Mining & Safety <br />EFCI is in receipt of the Division's letter of November 28, 2012 concerning the Southfield mine's <br />monitor well MW -NW. However, we find discrepancies in the Division's calculations of measurements <br />concerning MW -NW. The elevation of the floor of the mine workings (the entry) does not determine the <br />bottom of the well MW -NW and it should not be assumed that the bottom of the well and the floor level <br />coincides. MW -NW was formerly used as a dewatering well and as such, a sump, lower than the floor <br />level is required to drain the entry floor. <br />The elevation of the mine entry floor is determined by the Southfield Permanent Closure Map, <br />Sheet land is also referenced in TR -35, Adequacy Comments (09- 26 -03) in Response #3. EFCI concurs <br />with the Division's stated elevation of 5,855 ft elevation of the entry floor. The elevation of the ground <br />surface at the collar of MW -NW is determined by the Southfield Reclamation Plan map, Map 33. <br />Accuracy of the location of MW -NW on Map 33 is confirmed in TR -35, Response #4. MW -NW is also <br />shown on the Southfield Hydrology Map, Map 12. Both maps depict the mean of the ground surface <br />contours at MW -NW as being 6,232.5 ft elevation. <br />To determine the elevation of the referenced partial obstruction in the well, it is best measured <br />from the top of the steel casing of MW -NW. It should be noted that the Division's remote camera, <br />although very close to the partial obstruction, the camera was viewing from above the obstruction (not in <br />contact with it). Conversely, Kent Gorham, former hydrologist with the DRMS during his inspection of <br />MW -NW on April 17, 2012, measured 354 ft from the top of the well casing to the partial obstruction <br />using a homogenous line probe. The well casing protrudes 1.2 ft above the surface ground level (6,233.7 <br />elevation). Subtracting Kent Gorham's measurement of 354 ft from the elevation of the top of well casing <br />determines the elevation of the partial obstruction to be 5,879.7 ft. EFCI concurs that the coal seam was <br />5.5 ft thick in the mine workings at MW -NW (typical height of mine roof was 6 ft) and concurs that the <br />elevation of the mine roof is 5860.5 ft (or higher). These values determine a difference of 19.2 vertical ft <br />between the mine roof and the top of the partial obstruction in MW -NW. <br />The water test dumping 1500 gallons of water in MW -NW (4 -17 -2012) estimated a flow rate of <br />more than 140 gallons per minute (GPM) into the well (see EFCI letter of June 8, 2012). The 4 -17 -2012 <br />