2013-08-07_REPORT - C1981038 (2)

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STATE OF COLORADO DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING AND SAFETY Department of Natural Resources 1313 Sherman St., Room 215 Denver, Colorado 80203 Phone: (303) 866 -3567 FAX: (303) 832 -8106 August 7, 2013 Basil R. Bear Bowie Resources, LLC P.O. Box 1488 Paonia, CO 81428 Re: Bowie No. 1 Mine (Permit No. C- 1981 -038) 2012 Annual Hydrology, Mine Inflow, and Subsidence Monitoring Reports Dear Mr. Bear: COLORADO ID IV I S I O N O F RECLAMATION MINING SAFETY John W. Hickenlooper Governor Mike King Executive Director Loretta E. Pineda Director The Division has received and reviewed BRL's annual reports for the Bowie No. 1 Mine, and we have the following comments: Annual Hydrology Report The report addressed all of the requirements of Rules 4.05.13(1), (2), (3) and (4) and the approved permit application package. 1. Water monitoring frequency requirements were met at all surface and groundwater monitoring sites, with the following exception: Figure No. 1, the data for Borehole B04, indicates that the borehole was destroyed by recent hillside work, so the second monitoring event of 2012 was missed. Please indicate whether BRL intends to repair or replace this monitoring well. If BRL is proposing to abandon monitoring at this point, the approved monitoring plan will need to be revised in the permit application package, and an explanation provided as to why this data will not be needed to determine whether there are adverse impacts to the hydrologic balance from the mining operation. 2. Water Quality Analysis - Field parameters were collected and laboratory analyses were conducted as required at all groundwater and surface water sites, with the following exceptions: Ponds are required to be monitored quarterly for water level, with a full laboratory analysis done annually when the ponds are flowing. There was no laboratory analysis data reported for Ponds 10- 4 (P1004), 85 (P8500), 87 (P8700), and 88 (P8800), which were reported to be flowing at least one quarter in the year. Please either provide laboratory data for Ponds 10 -4, 85, 87, and 88 or explain why these required analyses were not completed. 3. Groundwater Levels were within historic ranges 4. Alluvium and Groundwater Quality— Wells MW -01, MW -03, SM -1, SM -6, SM -7, SM -9 and SM -11 are showing higher than historic values or are on the high end of the historic range for several constituents including conductivity, hardness, TDS, chloride, calcium, and sulfate. This may be a reflection of ongoing drought conditions, but the Division will continue to monitor the water quality Office of Office of Mined Land Reclamation Denver • Grand Junction • Durango Active and Inactive Mines