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STATE OF COLORADO <br />DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING AND SAFETY <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman St., Room 215 <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />Phone: (303) 866-3567 <br />FAX: (303) 832-8106 <br />March 9, 2009 <br />James A. Kiger <br />Environmental Manager <br />Oxbow Mining, LLC <br />P.O. Box 535 <br />Somerset, Colorado 81434 <br />RE: Elk Creek Mine, Permit No. C-1981-022, Oxbow Mining LLC <br />2007 Annual Hydrology Report, Preliminary Adequacy Review <br />Dear Mr. Kiger: <br />COLORADO <br />D I V I S ION OF <br />RECLAMATION <br />MINING <br />SAFETY <br />Bill Ritter, Jr. <br />Governor <br />Harris D. Sherman <br />Executive Director <br />Ronald W. Cattany <br />Division Director <br />Natural Resource Trustee <br />The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (Division) has finished its preliminary adequacy <br />review of the 2007 Annual Hydrology Report for the Elk Creek Mine. Because the Division is requesting in this <br />letter that Oxbow provide additional monitoring results, no final determination of the effects of mining on the <br />hydrologic regime is being made by the Division at this time. The Division has the following questions and <br />comments: <br />Hydrologic Monitoring Parameters <br />Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR) appears as a surface water monitoring parameter on page 4 of the 2007 <br />AHR but does not appear on permit application page 2.04-41 as a required sampling parameter. SAR <br />has not been sampled since 2002 at the surface water monitoring sites. For clarification, please revise <br />page 4 of the 2007 and future AHRs to either delete the SAR entry from the Hydrologic Monitoring <br />Parameter list or show that SAR is no longer a required sampling parameter. . <br />2. In the note at the bottom of page 4 of the 2007 AHR, it is stated that there are three North Fork of the <br />Gunnison sites for August sampling. Please revise this note in the 2007 and future AHRs to show there <br />are only two such monitoring sites, NF-1 and NF-3. <br />3. Visual observations of oil and grease are required surface water field measurements, as stated on permit <br />application page 2.04-41. However, the 2007 AHR does not show the entry on page 4 nor do such <br />observations appear in the data. Please revise page 4 in the 2007 and future AHRs appropriately and <br />include the oil and grease observations on the data sheets. <br />4. The note at the bottom of permit application page 2.04-41 states that dissolved oxygen will be <br />monitored only for streams. However, the note at the bottom of page 4 of the 2007 AHR states that <br />dissolved oxygen will be sampled for perennial streams (North Fork of the Gunnison and Hubbard <br />Creek). The 2007 AHR data sheets show that all of the streams were sampled for dissolved oxygen. In <br />order to avoid any possible confusion, please revise page 4 of the 2007 and future AHRs to show that all <br />streams being monitored will be sampled for dissolved oxygen. <br />Office of Office of <br />Mined Land Reclamation Denver • Grand Junction • Durango Active and Inactive Mines