ENFORCE23475

• Permit No: C1982057
• IBM Index Class Name: Enforcement
• Doc Date: 10/17/1997
• Doc Name: SENECA II-W MINE C-82-057 NOV C-97-015 OPERATOR REQUEST FOR VACATION
• From: DMG
• To: MIKE LONG
• Violation No.: CV1997015
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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• III IIIIIIIIIIIII III
999
STATE OF COLORADO
DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY
Deparlmenl of Natural Resources
1;17 Sherman 51., Room ?15
Denver, Colorado 80703
Phone. U03) 866-3567
FAX: U03183L8106
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DEPARTMENT OF
NATURAL
RESOURCES
Roy Romer
Governor
DATE: October ] 7, 1997
TO: Mike Long /~
FROM: Erica Crosby "(,o
RE: Seneca II-W Mine (C-82-057)
NOV C-97-015; Operator request for vacation
lames 5 Lochhead
Executive Director
Michael B. Long
Drvuion Dveaor
The Division received Seneca Coal Company's request to vacate NOV C-97-015 October l3, 1997.
I believe the NOV is warranted and recommend that you deny their request for vacation. Below is
a brief outline of the violation and reasons for upholding the violation.
The Division wrote Notice ofViolation (NOV) C-97-015 to the Seneca II-W Coal Mine (C-82-057)
on September 26, 1997 for failure to maintain the primary spillway on Pond 006, failure to maintain
the nonclogging dewatering device on Pond 006 and passing out-flow through the emergency
spillway of Pond 006, rules 4.05.6(3)(a), 4.05.6(3)(c) and 4.05.6(4), respectively.
During an inspection on Wednesday, September 24, 1997 it was noted that water was flowing out
the emergency spillway of Pond 006 at a rate of 150 to 175 g.p.m. No water was flowing out the
primary spillway because it was plugged with debris. The Division instructed the operator to clean
out the primary spillway immediately so the pond water would discharge through the riser. I
inspected the pond again on Friday morning to ensure that the work was completed. The primary
riser remained clogged and the emergency spillway was still dischazging at an estimated rate of 150
g.p.m. The violation was issued the morning of Friday, September 26, 1997 and the abatement due
date was set at 5:00 that afternoon. The abatement requirement was to clear the primazy riser of
debris to allow the pond to discharge as per the design. The violation was abated at 2:30 in the
afternoon.
I have a few comments regazding the letter submitted by Seneca and reasons for not vacating the
violation. The comments are as follows;
Seneca presents precipitation data recorded at the mine site. The predicted rainfall fora 10-
year/24-hourstorm event at the mine is 1.70 inches. There was only one storm even[ larger
than the ] 0-year/24-hourstorm event, and that was on Friday, September 19, 1997, exactly