Laserfiche WebLink
WATER TEST: To determine if the well casing was open to water flow, on April 17, 2012, EF truck <br />hauled 1,500 gallons of water to the monitor well and gravity fed the water into the well at an estimated <br />minimum flow rate of 140 gallon per minute (GPM). The water flowed down through the well (exiting) at <br />an estimated range of flow rate of 50 to 100 GPM. <br />DRMS' former hydrologist/inspector Kent Gorham was present and monitored the water test at the well <br />and concurred that the well is open to water flow and therefore, if water ever fills the mine void, MW- <br />NW is still a valid point to observe such water and allow samples to be taken of the ground water once it <br />rises to that elevation. After the test, the inspector reached the conclusion in the April 17, 2012 Inspection <br />Report quoted above. <br />TECHNICAL REVISION N0.40 (TR -40): EF submitted Technical Revision No.40 (TR -40) to the <br />Division on December 21, 2012. TR -40 requested that the monitoring point in the well be raised from the <br />bottom of the well to the elevation of the partial obstruction. Part of the justification for the requested <br />change, as explained in the fourth paragraph of the cover letter of TR -40, is that the area between the <br />obstruction and the mine workings is an open void and therefore the well continues to provide a <br />monitoring in the mine workings. <br />REMOTE CAMERA & PROBE CABLE: Other events at the well were that the DRMS lowered their <br />remote camera into the well on three different occasions. The first occasion (May 15, 2012) viewed the <br />coil of broken 1 /16inch diameter cable that was attached to the lodged probe. DBMS directed EF to <br />remove the cable & obstruction. EF removed 350 ft of the 353 ft length of cable by breaking it away from <br />the lodged probe with a fishing tool. The second camera event (Sept 17, 2012) confirmed the cable was <br />removed. The third camera event (Jan 23, 2013) confirmed that the wood block was still lodged in the <br />well. <br />CONCERN OF CONTAMINATION: If /when groundwater enters MW -NW, the Division has stated a <br />concern of potential contamination to the water from the items (the probe) lodged in the well. As stated <br />above, the probe consists of a plain wood block, untreated, unpainted and includes a remnant of the 1/16 <br />inch diameter measuring cable estimated to be less than 3 ft in length and a piece of attaching rope 3/8 <br />inch diameter and approximately 12 inches in length. If determined to be necessary, analysis of the items <br />can be performed by analyzing a like piece of wood and samples can be obtained from the same spool of <br />cable and from the same spool of rope that was used for the probe in MW -NW. <br />JACK O' LANTERN COAL SEAM: An alternative stated in the description for Abatement Step #1 in <br />NOV No. CV- 2013 -002 mentions the requirement for a well to intercept the Red Arrow seam or the Jack <br />O' Lantern coal seam. It should be noted that study of the drill log data of drill holes adjacent to and <br />surrounding MW -NW indicates that the Jack O' Lantern coal seam is adjacent to and slightly above the <br />partial blockage and probe lodged in MW -NW further indicating that the rules for monitoring the <br />Southfield mine are being demonstrated. <br />ABATEMENT STEP #2 — NOV No. CV- 2013 -002: Abatement Step #2 of the NOV requires that EF <br />provides evidence that EFCI has applied for a monitoring well permit for MW -NW. EF has operated and <br />has various stages of reclamation for three coal mines in Colorado since 1977 to present. There were <br />