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+- a <br />~II ~I~~I~~II~~~~~II <br />999 <br />STATE OF COLORADO <br />DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY <br />Dep, rlmenl nl Nawrol Resources <br />1313 Sherman 51 . Room ? 15 <br />Denver, Culurarlu 80201 <br />Phone' ISll31 Hhh-}Sh7 <br />fA%~ 1]03) BIDPI OG <br />November 20. 1995 <br />Bear Coal Company <br />c/o Jim Stover, P.E. <br />].E. Stover & Associates <br />2768 Compass Drive, Suite 101 <br />Grand Junction, CO 81506 <br />Re: Bear Mine (Permit No. C-81-033) <br />Stipulation No. 34, B-Seam Monitoring Well <br />Dear Mr. Stover: <br />~~ <br />~~~~~ <br />DEPARTMENT OF <br />NATURAL <br />RESOURCES <br />Roy Romer <br />Governor <br />lames S Lochhaul <br />Evecmive Direnrn <br />Michael B. Long <br />Division Drtecloi <br />I have reviewed your submittals of August 7, 1995 and October 23, 1995. These submittals <br />address the Stipulation No. 34, which was attached to [he Permit Revision No. 2 for the Bear <br />Mine. Stipulation 34 required the installation of a monitoring well into the B-Seam coal between <br />the B-Seam workings proposed in Permit Revision No. 2 and the North Fork of the Gunnison <br />River. This well was intended to monitor B-Seam water quality prior to initiating mining as <br />proposed in Permit Revision No. 2 and following the referenced mining. <br />Due to extreme topographic constraints, installation of the well in an appropriate location would be <br />difficult. Access from the west would involve creating a new road through steep and otherwise <br />undisturbed ground. Access from the east is currently prevented by a large rockfill and unsafe <br />conditions. Access through and across the river is also no[ appropriate. <br />With the submittal of October 23, 1995, a review of currently existing information is provided. <br />Mountain Coal Company (West Elk Mine) and Pacific Basin Resources (Somerset Mine) have <br />wells located in the B-Seam as specifically referenced in the submittal. These wells provide a <br />variety of information ranging from historic pre-mining information (MCC well JMB-12) to post- <br />mining information represented by the Somerset Mine wells H-10 and B-6. Any new B-Seam well <br />would likely provide similar information over time. <br />[t is our opinion that both the pre-mine and post-mine B-Seam water quality located downgradient <br />from the workings proposed with the Bear Mine Permit Revision No. 2 can be adequately <br />bracketed using the existing information. Well installation as previously required with Stipulation <br />No. 34 will not be required at this time. Stipulation No. 34 is hereby terminated. <br />Please be aware that in the absence of actual data, worst-case Bear Mine B-Seam groundwater <br />quality impact analyses would likely be based upon the water quality observed in [he Somerset <br />Mine wells H-10 and B-6. It is possible that use of the Somerset data could overestimate the <br />