2013-04-16_HYDROLOGY - M1981058 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• �87t DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES Mr. Mark A. McLean, P.E. ✓6eere & Ault Consultants, Inc. 600 S. Airport Road, Building A, Suite 205 Longmont, CO 80503 April 12, 2013 RE: Substitute Water Supply Plan DeBeque Pit VRMS #M -81 -058 Sections 8 & 9, T9S, R97W, 6 P.M. Water Division 5, Water District 72, Mesa County Approval Period: May 1, 2013 through April 30, 2015 Contact Phone Number for Mr. McLean: 303 - 651 -1468 R 16 2013 Mike King Executive Director Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety John W. Hickenlooper Governor Dick Wolfe, P.E. Director /State Engineer Dear Mr. McLean: We have reviewed your February 6, 2013 and March 5, 2013 letters requesting renewal of the substitute water supply plan ( "SWSP ") for the DeBeque Pit on behalf of Kirkland Construction, RLLP ( "Kirkland" or "Applicant "), in accordance with § 37 -90- 137(11), C.R.S. The required fee of $514 ($257 for each year) for the renewal request has been submitted (receipt no. 3658785). The original plan was approved on June 3, 2003 and it was most recently renewed on December 5, 2011. SWSP Operations This SWSP seeks to replace depletions resulting from mining operations at the DeBeque Pit. The mine is located in Mesa County in the SE1 /4 of Section 8, and the SW1 /4 of Section 9, Township 9 South, Range 97 West of the 6 P.M. No mining operations have occurred at the DeBeque Pit since 2009 when the dewatering system was shut off and the mined pit was allowed to fill with ground water during the period of no call on Colorado River below DeBeque, creating a 9.7 acre pond at the site (Figure 2). Although no mining is anticipated during this SWSP period Kirkland wishes to maintain the option of opening the mine on short notice and therefore for the purpose of this SWSP mining was projected to begin in May 2013 and May 2014 as part of this SWSP. The depletions that result from the mining operations are evaporation from exposed ground water, water lost in the mined product, and water used for dust suppression. Evaporation losses from the 3.6 acres of the 9.7 acres of exposed ground water are replaced by a plan for augmentation that was decreed in case no. 2005CW076. The applicant received a decree in Case No. 2005CW76 on September 3, 2008 for an underground water right, a change of water right and a plan for augmentation which provides for augmentation of evaporation from the existing 3.6 -acre ground water pond. This decree describes the post- mining augmentation at the DeBeque Pit for the existing 3.6 -acre groundwater pond, describes the parameters to be used in the ground water lagging calculations at the site, quantifies the historical phreathophyte credit at the site and quantifies historical consumptive use associated with the 20.5 shares of Larkin Irrigation Company stock owned by Thomas F. and Ginger L. Latham (the "Lathams "). In the previous SWSP for the DeBeque Pit the Applicant provided a new consumptive use analysis of the Larkin Ditch and the historical use credits attributable to the Larkin Ditch were limited to the senior water rights of that ditch. This SWSP will replace depletions that result from the on -going mining operation and the exposure of additional ground water (in addition to the 3.6 acre previously exposed). The 3.6 acre pond Office of the State Engineer 1313 Sherman Street, Suite 818 • Denver, CO 80203 • Phone: 303 - 866 -3581 • Fax: 303 - 866 -3589 www.water.state.co.us