ENFORCE22690

• Permit No: C1981022
• IBM Index Class Name: Enforcement
• Doc Date: 5/22/1987
• Doc Name: NOV C-87-012 SERIOUSNESS DURATION & EXTENT
• From: MLRD
• To: FILE C-81-022 NOV C-87-012 SOMERSET MINE
• Violation No.: CV1987012
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

^III IIIIIIIIIIIII III
999
STATE OF COLORADO
Roy Romer, Governor
~~
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
MINED LAND RECLAMATION DIVISION
DAVID C. SHELTON, DlreMOr
DATE: May 22, 1987
T0: File No. C-81-022/- NOY C-87-012 - Somerset Mine
FROM: Tom Schreiner Y~~'" ,
RE: NOV N0. C-87-012 - SERIOUSNESS, DURATION AND EXTENT
The purpose of this memo is to document the seriousness, duration, and extent
of the violation issued on May 15 at the Somerset Mine. The violation was
later revised in the office of the Division on May 20 after additional
information was obtained. The revised violation will be issued to both the
operator (Kaiser Coal Company) and the permittee (U. S. Steel Mining Company).
Revised Notice of Violation C-87-012 was issued for 1) failure to maintain
records on site, and 2) failure to follow approved plan -failure to conduct
hydrologic monitoring. It should be pointed out that representatives of both
the operator and the permittee met with the Division prior to March 1, 1987 to
discuss on-going responsibilities at the Somerset Mine. A letter was also
sent to both parties by Fred Banta on April 22 which specifically outlined the
ongoing site maintenance and hydrologic monitoring responsibilities.
The following discussion will address failure to conduct required hydrologic
monitoring.
Site H-1
Surface water monitoring at Hubbard Creek site H-1 is required once each
quarter. No evidence of stream flow or water quality monitoring for the first
quarter of 1987 was present at the mine office. Bill Pecharich, property
supervisor, stated on May 15 that the monitoring had not been done. As stated
in a June 6, 1986 letter by Martin P. Holmes of Kaiser Coal Company, flow
rates for the Hubbard Creek area normally peak between April and June, and
stream flow rates are a direct result of spring runoff. The winter of 1986-87
was fairly mild and as a result, peak runoff in the Hubbard Creek area
probably occurred in March. March would most likely have been the month that
water monitoring was conducted at site H-1. Therefore, peak flow water volume
and water quality data for 1987 have been lost. Seriousness of the failure to
monitor site H-1 is minimal since the mine is in temporary cessation and there
are no current reclamation activities occurring in Hubbard Creek, and also
since approximately 5 years worth of streamflow has been collected from H-2.
423 Centennial Building, 1313 Sherman Street Denver, Colorado 80203-2273 Tel. [phone]