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STATE OF COLO <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 />December 16, 2009 <br />Judy Garrigues <br />Gault Group, Inc. <br />36 West Main Street <br />Cortez, Colorado 81321 <br />Alan Chiles <br />Rimrock Exploration & Development <br />P.O. Box 430 <br />Nucla, Colorado 81424 <br />Re: J -Bird Mine, File No. M- 2005- 050,110d, Environmental Protection Plan, AM -01, <br />Groundwater Well Location /Depth Review, and Decision Date. <br />Dear Ms. Garrigues and Mr. Chiles, <br />Ronald W. Cattany <br />Division Director <br />Natural Resource Trustee <br />Please find attached excerpts from review of the groundwater well location and depth discussion between Division of <br />Reclamation Mining and Safety (DRMS) staff members for the J -Bird Environmental Protection Plan (EPP). Please <br />note that text in red indicates issues that will need to be addressed in the EPP plans for site groundwater <br />characterization. Rimrock received the verbal okay for the drill location of JB -01. However review indicates that the <br />depth of the well needs to be down to the Navajo Formation not the Entrada as discussed. Please advise DRMS as to <br />the depth of the well if already drilled. <br />Staff has not received any written correspondence in regard to the review letter sent out November 12, 2009. <br />Outstanding issues include groundwater and drill log information, radiological baseline data, and engineering design <br />support data. There are now less than 10 working days left due to the holidays and furlough day for any review. Staff <br />schedules make it impossible to review any data submitted by Rimrock or Gault between now and the initial January <br />4` 2010 decision date. Therefore, it is in Rimrock's best interest to request an extension of the decision date as soon <br />as possible. DRMS staff must have enough time to review and respond to requested data submitted prior to any final <br />decision process. A thirty to sixty day extension seems prudent but that is the operator's decision. Failure to extend <br />the decision date may mean denial of the EPP on January 4` 2010. This in turn means Rimrock would be in violation <br />of the DMO rules and subject to possible enforcement procedures. Staff will be happy to discuss the issue prior to <br />December 23, 2009. <br />If you need additional information please contact me at the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, Grand <br />Junction Field Office, 101 S. 3rd St., Suite 301, Grand Junction, Colorado 81501, or by telephone no. 970.241.1117. <br />Sincerely, n <br />G. Russell Means <br />Environmental Protection Specialist II <br />Cc: Steve Shuey, Senior Environmental Protection Specialist, West Team Supervisor <br />David Bird, DRMS Geo- Chemist, Denver <br />Allen Sorenson, DRMS Engineer, Denver <br />Office of <br />Mined Land Reclamation <br />Denver • Grand Junction • Durango <br />6�� <br />COLORADO <br />D I V IS I ON OF <br />RECLAMATION <br />MINING <br />el"D SAFETY <br />mmu <br />DEC 21 NO Bill Ritter, Jr. <br />^`` Governor <br />Dh �r iYAa Harris D. Sherman <br />Executive Director <br />Office of <br />Active and Inactive Mines <br />