2013-06-06_PERMIT FILE - M2013028

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DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES John W. Hickenlooper Governor Mike King Executive Director Dick Wolfe, P.E. Director v Response to Reclamation Permit Application Consideration DATE: June 6, 2013 TO: ,-� Tom Kaldenbach, Senior Environmental Protection Specialist CC: Division 1 Office, District 23 Water Commissioner FROM: Sarah Brucker, P.E.`e RE: Combination Placer, File No. 1013 -028 Operator: Western States Minerals, LLC Contact: Jeff Vogt, (303) 355 -7988 RECEIVED `JUN n 6 ton Sections 16 & 17, Twp 9 South, Rng 78 West, 6th P.M., Park County DIVISION OF RECLAMATION MINING AND SAFETY CONDITIONS FOR APPROVAL ® The proposed operation does not anticipate exposing groundwater. Therefore, exposure of ground water must not occur during or after mining operations. ® The applicant has indicated plans to use other water for the following purposes at the permit site: evaporation, ® other: nonconsumptive mining and gravel washing. The source of water for this use is two tailings ponds, decreed as the Combination Placer Tailings Pond in Division 1 Water Court case nos. W- 8044 -75 and 85CW218. The use of water the ponds must be in accordance with the terms and conditions of said decrees. COMMENTS: This will be a surface mining operation on 9.85 permitted acres located approximately 4' /z miles southwest of Alma, Colorado. The primary commodity to be mined at the site is gold. There are two tailings ponds at the site that will be used to process the mined ore. The larger pond is approximately 300 feet by 90 feet, and the smaller pond is approximately 135 feet by 35 feet. Water will be pumped from the larger pond for use in the wash plant at a rate of 350 gallons per minute. The sluice will be delivered to a shallow silt pond with a French drain and the water will flow into the larger pond for reuse. The process ponds are proposed to remain after mining operations have ceased to provide wildlife habitat. Both of the existing tailings ponds are considered to be a part of the decreed Combination Placer Tailings Pond, which originally consisted of four separate ponds. The Combination Placer Tailings Pond was decreed absolute in Division 1 Water Court case no. W- 8044 -75 for 2 acre -feet of storage with a right to use a flow of 1 cfs (450 gpm) for nonconsumptive mining and gravel washing. The source of water was identified as surface runoff from Pennsylvania Mountain. A water right for an additional 7 acre -feet of storage and flow of an additional 3 cfs was decreed absolute for the Combination Placer Tailings Pond in case no. 85CW218. Of this amount, 1 acre -foot was dedicated to evaporation losses; the remaining 6 acre -feet may be used for nonconsumptive mining and gravel washing. This office has no objection to the proposed mining operation so long as the existing ponds are operated in accordance with the decrees entered in case nos. W- 8044 -75 and 85CW218. Specifically, the total combined capacity of the ponds may not exceed 9 acre -feet (2 acre -feet + 7 acre -feet) and the use of water from the ponds is limited to nonconsumptive mining and gravel washing. Water from the ponds may not be used for dust control, landscape irrigation, or any other consumptive use. The applicant may contact the State Engineer's Office with any questions. Office of the State Engineer 1313 Sherman Street, Suite 818 • Denver, CO 80203 • Phone: 303 - 866 -3581 • Fax: 303 - 866 -3589 www.water.state.co.us