r'J' iVjs~ON OF • ,1 .... 1 I

() i L GAS & i'AINING

APPENDIX I

Hydrologic Resources, Probable Hydrologic Consequences and Hydrologic Monitoring Associated with the Wellington Prep Plant

--. ' ..

".

Water Quality Parameter List

Field: Water Levels or Flow pH

Conductivity at 25° c ":. ""Temoerature at 25°" c " . .

Total Suspended Solids Total Combustable Solids

Total Dissolved Solids Total Hardness (as CaC0 3 )

Aluminum (AI) Arsenic (As) Bariwn (Ba) Boron (B) -2 Carbonate (C03 )-1 Bi'··:lrbonate (nC03 ) Ca(.Lrni urn (Cd) Calcium (Ca)_l Chloride (el ) Chromium (Cr) Copper (Cu)_l Fluoride (F ) Iron - Total (Fe)

Lead (Pb) Magnesium (:~!g)

Mangenese (~) lvlercury (Hg) Nolybdenum (Mo) Nickel (Ni) Nitrogen: A=~2£ia (NH 3 ) Nitrate (N03 ) ,Nitr~te (N0 2 ) Potassium (~) -3 Phosphate: Total (P0

4 )

Dissolved Selenium (Se) Sodium (Na) -2 Sulfate (S~~ ) Sulfide (S ) Zinc (Zn)

units

~os/cm C. . •

mg/L mg/L

rng./L mg/L

'f -.

mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L :ng/L mg/L rng/L mg/L rng/L mg/L mg/L mg/L

mg/L mg/L mg/L rng/L mg/L mg/L mg/L rng/L mg/L mg/L og/L mg/L mg/L rng/L

mg/L mg/L

Surface \'later only if visible coal fines, oil or grease

Surface ~-1ater Ground ~"ia ter

(.

HYDROLOGIC RESOURCES PROBABLE HYDROLOGIC CONSEQUENCES

AND HYDROLOGIC MONITORING ASSOCIATED WITH THE WELLINGTON PREP. PLANT

PREPARED FOR

u.s. STEEL CORPORATION

APPENDIX III

DECEMBER 1983~

ENGINEERING-SCIENCE DESIGN. RESEARCH. PLANNING

'0 LAKESIDE LAN~ DENVER. COLORADO 80212 • • 303145H427 OFFICES IN PRINCIPAL CITIES

•

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List of Tables List of Maps .

TABLE OF CONTENTS

. . . . . . . . Chapter 1 - Introduction

Chapter 2 - Description of Hydrologic Resources. Surface Water Resources .. . Ground Water Resources. ..... . . . . .

Ferron Sandstone.. •.... . . Blue Gate Shale • . . All uvi urn. • • • . . . . • . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 3 - Probable Hydrologic Consequences Potential Sources of Contamination. . . . . . .

Waste Pile. . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Road Pond, Auxiliary Pond, Drier Pond, and Refuse Pond . • . .. ... . . . . • . . Cumullative Effect of the Refuse Ponds and the Waste Pile ......•.

Chapter 4 - Hydrologic Monitoring. . ...•. Surface Water Monitoring ................ .

Potentially Affected Surface Water Resources .... . Refuse Ponds ....•...........•.•..

Ground Water Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . • Monitoring on the West Side of t~e Price River in the Vicinity of the Preparation Plant ...... .

Refuse Pile. . . . • . . .'. . . . .. . . . Road Pond and Auxiliary Pond . . . .. ... Up Gradient - Unaffected Wells . . • Summary of Ground Water Monitoring on the West Side of the Price River in the Vicinity of the Preparation Plant ., ........ .

Monitoring on the East Side of t~e Price River in the Vicinity of the Refuse Ponds . . . . Frequency of Ground Water Monitoring ..... .

i ii

1

3 3 4 5 6 7

10 10 11

14

15

17 17 18 19 20

22 22 22 23

23

24 25

LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

Table 1. No=mal precipitation observej from 1951 to 1980in Price, Utah.. . ..... · · .. · 12

Table 2. La~oratory analyses of leachate from the refuse pile ...... ". 13

Table 3. 1-1c:1itoring frequency for sur:ace water stations. 20

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LIST OF MAPS

,- .".

Map 1. Hydrologic Monitoring Map Wellington Preparation Plant. . . See Map Pocket

REFERENCES

L. S. Department of the Interior Water and Power Resources Service, 1981. Ground Water Manual, U. S. Government Printing Offices .

ii

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

The primary objective of this ~epo~t is to arrive at a sound

hydrologic monitoring plan in relation to the potential sources of

pollution emanating from the Wellington P~ep. Plant (prep. plant).

In order to develop the hydrologic monitoring plan it was first

necessa~y to determine what hydrologic resources are present within

the adjacent area of the prep plant. Next an assessment of probable

hydrologic consequences was developed with respect to the prep.

plant. Finally, based on the hyd~ologic resources in the area and

the potential pollutant sources associated with the prep. plant a

monitoring plan was developed. The~efore, the following three

chapters (i.e., chapters 2,3, and 4) have been organized to present

this logical approach to the development of the monitoring plan:

Chapte~ 2 . Description of HydrologiC Resources; Chapter 3. Probable

Hydrologic Consequences; and Chapter 4. Hydrologic Monitoring Plan.

Throughout this report constant refe~ence is made to the previous

work and commitments made by U.S. Steel contained in the Operation

and Reclamation Plan CORP) inorder to maintain consistencey.

The pr-ep. plant is located near Wellington, Utah adjacent to

the Pr-ice River. The permit area is near the center of Township 5

S6uth Range 11 East. The area occupied by the prep. plant is part of

the flood plain. of the Price River and is underlain by alluvial

materials deposi~ed by the river. The entire plant site also has

Blue Gate Shale beneath the alluvial depos~ts.

The prep_ plant has been utilized for cleaning coal since 1958

and has an expected life in excess of 30 years. Map 1 provides the

location of all the structures and monitoring points that are ·r

..; ,"

1 . \

• discussed in the following report. The prep. plant receives coal by

rail and dumps, processes and ships clean coal by rail to the Geneva

Steel works in Ore~, Utah. The prep. plant receives from 1.5 to 1.8

million tons of raw coal annually and ships 1.2 to 1.5 ·million tons

of clean coal.

Approximately 300,000 tons of refuse is pumped or trucked to

the refuse disposal areas. Coarse refuse is trucked to the coarse

refuse pile. The auxiliary and read ponds are in direct

communication with the prep. plant and receive discharges from the

plant and provide support water to the plant on a daily basis. These

two ponds are joined by a culvert and together with the new drier

pond are designed for total containment of all plant discharges

(Refer to part UMC 784.11 of the ORP). Refuse from the coal cleaning

process is pumped via a pipeline to the east side of the Price River

4It into ~ series of refuse ponds. The ~pper refuse pond impounds all

•

waste that is pumped from the the prep. plant and coarse debris

settle out here. Clarification of prep. -plant waters continues as

the water moves to the so~th through .the lower refuse pond into the

clear water pond. Clean water is pumped from the clear water pond

via a pipeline from these ponds to the prep. plant. When necessary,

water is added to the clear water pond, to replenish water lost

during the processing of coal, from the river water collection well •

2

• DESCRIPTION OF HYDROLOGIC RESOURCES

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the

resources present within the adjacent area of the prep.

sufficient detail to support the determination of

hydrologic

plant in

probable

hydrologic consequences in Chapter 3 and the development of the

hydrologic monitoring plan in Chapter 4. "In the following text

surface water resources are addressed first followed by a discussion

of ground water resources.

The topo~raphy in the vicinity of the prep. plant consists of

the valley of the Price River with small foot slopes to the east and

west of the river. The refuse ponds on the east side of the Price

River are located in a gentle swail with foothills to the east and

• west of the ponds (Refer to Map 1).

prep.

the

The surface water resources within the adjacent area of the

plant include the Price River that extends diagonally throu~h

permit area and s~veral ephemeral drainages that are tributary

to the Price River. On the west side of the river, the surface

drainages have been diverted around the prep. plant in order to

minimize the contact of unaffected waters with the plant site. The

ephemeral surface runoff that originates on the plant site is routed

into the auxiliary pond, the road pond or the new drier pond. These

ponds have been sized for total containment of the 10 year 24 hour

precipitation event in addition tq the volume necessary to contain

the -plant operating water (Refer to part UMC 784.11 of the ORP for

design specifications of the ponds). No discharge of surface water

• is 'anticipated from the plant site. Therefore, with respect to

• surface waters in the vicinity of the prep. plant there is little

possibility· that surface runoff from the, site will contaminate the

Price River or the ephemeral streams.

On the slurry pond side of the river several small first order

drainages run into the refuse ponds. The only second or third order

drainage, potentially in contact with the refuse ponds, is diverted

around the ponds via the north divers~6n ditch. The specifications

for the ditch c:an be -found in .Appendix E to the ORP.

It should be noted·th~t the ephemeral drainage diverted around the

refuse ponds via the north diversion ditch mingles with intercepted

seepage from irrigation return flow from the north and seep~ge from

the upper refuse impoundment to the south. Therefore, the

opportunity exists for the diverted ephemeral drainage to be

• contaminated by· the refuse pond seepage and for this contaminated

water to enter the Price River .

. I, In summary, the 'potential for cont~minated surface water to

leave the areas involved with the prep. plant is limited to t~e

north diversion ditch because of the refuse pond seepage that

comingles with the diverted ephemeral flow and irrigation return

flow that also passes down the ditch. The Price River is the surface

water resource that receives the contaminated waters. The impact of

this lower quality water leavi~g the site and the appropriate

monitoring of this contamination source is discussed in Chapters 3

and 4 ·respectively •

• Before discussing the ground water resources present in the '-,

adjacent area of the prep. plant it is appropriate to discuss the

4 REV. 1: 4-11-87

geology as it relates to the presence and movement of ground water •

• ·The surficial geology in the vicinity of the prep. plant has been

presented on Map C9-1213- in the OR? (Refer to page 783-4). All of

•

the valley bottom areas occupied by the prep. plant and the refuse

ponds is mapped -as alluvium associated with various depositional

environments (i.e. river alluvium~ piedmont, or slope wash). The

foot slopes that rise adjacent to the Price River and adjacent to

the refuse ponds have been mapped as an upper unnamed shale. Later

correspondence in the OR? conclUdes that this unnamed shale is the

Blue Gate Shale~ a member of the marine Mancos Shale. Beneath the

Blue Gate Shale is another member of the Mancos Shale, the Ferron

Sandstone. The following narrative discusses each of the geologic

strata previously mentioned (i.e., alluvial deposits~ and the Blue

Gate Shale and Ferron Sandstone members of the Mancos Shale) as they

relate to ground water in the adjacent area of the prep. plant.

The Ferron Sandstone is a regionally extensive member of the

Mancos Shale which is nat considered a good aquifer in the viCInity

of the prep. plant. Part UMC 783.15 in the ORP contains a discussion

of the Ferron Sandstone that indicates the Ferron Sandstone varies

from 4~OOO to 21~534milligrams per liter of total dissolved solids

at 4 remote locations associated with gas wells and a coal mine.

Water of this quality is considered ~arginal for watering stock and

would be poor for irrigation use. No other use of the Ferron

Sandstone as an aquifer is known for the adjacent area of the prep.

plant. The search _for information on the use of the Ferron Sandstone

included a review of the State Engineer~s records extending through

5

all of Township 5 South, Range 11 East. In summary, because of

~ the total lack of ·use of the Ferron Sandstone as an aquifer in the

adjacent area of the prep. plant (i.e., T5S, RilE) and the apparent

poor quality of water that has been observed from this water bearing

zone, it is concluded that the Ferron Sandstone is of very little

importance as an aquifer in the adjacent area of the prep. plant.

The Blue Gate Shale has been observed at all locations drilled

through the alluvium in the vicinity of the prep. plant (Refer to

Map E9-3428 in the ORP). In addition, the Blue Gate Shale is exposed

in all of the foothills that rise above the prep. plant and refuse

ponds. Therefore, it is concluded that the Blue Gate Shale is

continuous beneath the alluvial deposits and over the Ferron

• Sandstone in the vicinity 'of the prep. plant.

The permeability of the Blue Gate Shale was measured during the

geotechnical investigations conducted with respect to the tailings

dikes (Refer to Appendix C of the ORP). The permeability

measurements corresponding to the Blue Gate Shale ranged from 13

feet per year to 3700 feet per year. This range of permeability is

considered low to.moderate (U.S. Department of the Interior Water

and Power Resources Service, 1981). It is expected that some of the

permeability measurements may be high because the drill holes only

extended approximately 10 feet into the shale. This thin surface of

the shale would likely be weathered and be more permeable than the

consolidated shale beldw. However, the permeability val L.leS

• documented in Appendix C of the ORP indicate that the Blue Gate

Shale is generally less permeable than the overlying alluvial

6

materials. Theref~re, the Blue Gate Shale is considered a less

... permeable bed that. impedes the downward movement of ground water and

serves as a perching bed for the shallow alluvial ground water

system that will be discussed next.

Alluvium overlies the Blue Gate Shale over much of the permit

area. The deposits range from a few feet thick at the contact with

the shale foothills to approximately 35 feet deep in the valley of

the Price River. The permeability measurements provided in Appendix

C of the ORP indicates that the alluvium has a wide range of

permeability, that generally can be considered moderately to highly

permeable. In addition, a search for water users in the shallow

alluvial aquifer in the records of the State Engineer revealed 7

... wells in the vicinity of the prep. plant (i.e., T5S RIlE). All seven

...

of the wells are located in Sections 7 and 8 T5S RllE. While these

wells indicate that the saturated alluvium serves as a local aquifer,

it should be noted that these wells are located two to three miles

upstream in the Price River valley. It is assumed that these wells

are up gradient from the prep. plant and that impacts from the plant

could ther~fore, not reach the wells.

It is accepted that the alluvium serves as ground water

resource in the area. The remainder of this chapter discusses the

characteristics of the shallow alluvial ground water system and the

potential for it to be contaminated by the prep. plant. Static water

table

the

measurements were taken approximately one to two weeks after

initial .drilling of boreholes installed during previous

geotechnical investigations of the prep •. plant site. Map E9-3428 of

7

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the ORP presents cross sections with the water levels indicated. It

is emphasized that the water table measurements were made in 1957

prior to the construction of the prep. plant or the refuse

impoundments. The water levels on this cross section indicate that

the highest water table elevations occur in the topographically

highest locations (e.g., along the foothills). The water table drops

from the foothills toward the swail where the refuse ponds are now

located. The water table is lowest along the valley of the Price

River. It is therefore, assumed for subsequent discussion that the

water table in the shallow alluvial ground water system reflects the

surface topography, with ground water flow from topographically high

areas toward the Price River. In addition, with the location of the

refuse ponds impounded within the swail above the Price River it is

assumed that the ponds serve as points. of high ground water

potential,

ditch also

considered

creating a mounding of ground water. The north diversion

serves as a 9round water cutoff and therefore is

a point of low ground water potential in the area. The

cutoff trench (i.e., north diversion) therefore, serves to separate

the ground water connecti6n between the re~use p6nds and the

irrigated fields to the north.

At the prep. plant and refuse ponds the potential for·

contamination of the shallow ground water system exists wherever

affected waters have the opportunity to seep into the underlying

alluvium.

personnnel

December,

Following a site visit, conversations with prep. plant

(Glenn Sides and Randy WAtt, personal communication,

1983), and a review of the ORP it was concluded that the

following locations provided the potential. for contamination of ~he

8

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alluvial aquifer: 1.Seepage from the refuse pile; 2.Seepage from the

road pond, the auxiliary pond and the drier pond in th~ vicinity of

the prep. plant; and 3.Seepage from the refuse impoundments located

east of the Price River. Each of these potential contamination

sources is examined in Chapters 3 and 4 with regard to potential

impacts and monitoring respectively. Please note, that these

potential sources of contamination may affect not only the shallow

alluvial ground water system but also the Price River. Please recall

the earlier assumption that ground waters flow in a pattern roughly

reflecting the surface topography and with the Price River as the

point of lo~est ground water potential in the area with respect to

the alluvial ground water flow.

9

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PROBABLE HYDROLOGIC CONSEQUENCES

This chapte~ investigates potential sou~ces of contamination

associated with the prep~ plant that may Come in contact with the

hydrologic resources described in Chapter 2. In addition, for those

potential sources of contamination em~nating from the prep. plant

that are identified, an assessment of the degree of impact to the

hydrologic resource is also presented. Please note~ that the time

frames associated with this project dictated that limitations be

placed on the amount of data being reviewed and the techniques

utilized to assess impacts. Therefore, the following analysis relied

on the data in the ORP and was also limited to reviewing TDS as a

general indicator of water quality impacts.

POTENTIAL SOURCES OF CONTAMINATION

The potential sources of contamination to hydrologic resources

in the adjacent area of the prep. plant (i.e.~ as identified in

Chapter 2) were identified through discussions with prep. plant

personnel (i. e. !I Mr. Glenn Sides and Mr. Randy Watts) through an

analysis of the ORP and through a site visit. Please refer to part

UMC 784.11 (Operation Plan) in the

operations at the prep. plant

associated structures.

ORP for a detailed discussion of

and design specifications of

Three potential sources of contamination have been identified in

relation to the prep. plant including: 1.The waste pile; 2.The

auxiliary, road, and drier ponds; and 3.The refuse ponds, including

the seepage that is discharged via the north diversion ditch. Each

of these potential sources for contamination of surface and ground

• waters are discussed in detail in the following text. All of . the

10

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•

refuse ponds are .addressed together in the assessment of impacts

because it

each pond.

was not possible to separate out the water

Rather, the total losses from all ponds

losses for

has been

determined and the cumulative effect of all of the ponds is

determined.

~~§~~ Eil~

As discussed in ~hapter 1 the waste pile receives coarse debris

that are a by product of the coal cleaning process. When viewed in

the field the fresh waste appeared to consist of 2 to 4 inch shale

fragments. In the older portions of the waste pile the shale

fragments had weathered into smaller chunks with voids still

remaining between the individual pieces of shale. The current extent

of the waste pile is shown on Map 1. It should also be noted that

the

the

waste pile will continue to grow as coal cleaning continues

prep. plant. The ultimate extent of the waste pile

at

is

approximately 22 acres as shown on Map 1.- No vegetation was observed

on the pile.

The only mechanism that could transport contaminants from the

waste pile is precipitation percolating down through the pile that

eventually reache~ the shallow alluvial ground water system. A

diversion ditch passes all other surface waters around the waste

pile in order to minimize the potential for contaminating surface

waters.

In order to determin~ the extent of cont~mination of the shallow

alluvial. ground water system from·the leachate f~om the waste pile

it was first assumed that all precipitation falling on the waste

pile would percolate through the pile and enter the shallow ground

11

water system. The annual precipitation for the prep_ plant was

• estimated from precipitation records obtained from the State

Climatological Office in Logan~ Utah for the nearest long term

precipitation record~ at Price Utah. Table 1 provides the normal' or

ave~age precipitation that has been observed at Price for the period

of record from 1951 to 1980.

Table 1. Normal precipitation observed from 1951 to 1980 in Price~

Utah. Data are presented in inches of precipitation. These records

were obtained from the Utah State Climatologist~s Office in Logan

Utah (personal communication~ December 1983).

Normal Precipitation (in inches) at Price, Utah J~Q~ E§~~ ~~c~h 8Qcti tl2Y ~~Q~ J~l~ e~g~ §~~t~ Q£t~ ~QY~ Q~£~

• 73 • 76 • 72 • 50 • 72 • 70 • 85 1. 17 • 97 1 • 09 • 60 • 87 Annual Average Precipitation= 9.68 inches •

• It should be noted that a closer short term precipitation record has

recently been developed at Wellington, utah. However? comparison of

the Wellington Data 1980- 1983) does not show strong

difference from the precipitation observed at Price, Utah.

Thet-ef ore ~ the decision was made to utilize the precipitation data

from Price, Utah in the calculation of water that will likely be

affected by the coarse refuse pile. Using the annual total

precipitation falling on th~ refuse pile (i.e., 9.68 inches of

precipitation) as the basis for the amount of water that would come

in contact with the refuse pile it is determin~d that approximately

17.8 acre feet of water could potentially leach through and out of

the waste pile annually.

The quality of ,the leachate that moves through the waste pile

~ can only be marginally predicted because only one partial analysis

12

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•

o~ coal waste leachate has been provided to date. Please note~ that

while the available data are fully utilized in this prediction of

the quality of leachate emanating from the waste pile, U.S. Steel

commits to conduct additional sampling and analyses of waste pile

leachate in Chapter 4. The additional leachate analyses will provide

further verification and monitoring of the quality of water that

comes in contact with the waste pile. The analysis of leachate from

the waste pile is presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Laboratory analysis of leachate from the refuse pile.

%Clay /~Coal

'l.Gravel 'l.Sand 'l.Silt Te!-~ture

pH Initial units Acidity as CaC03 ppm Alkalinity as CaC03 ppm Calcium as Ca ppm Conductivity mmhos/cm Magnesium as Mg ppm /. Saturation Sodium Adsorption Ratio Sodium as Na ppm Total Dissolved Solids mg/l

1.5' <0 .. 01 83.5 2.50 12.50 Gravel 8.40 <0.01 142 76.00 250 18.20 20.40

33.97 1~270 7,040

The analysis presented above sUbstantiates the observation that the

coarse refuse pile is composed of gravel sized fragments that would

readily allow precipitation falling on the pile to percolate to the

shallow alluvial ground water system. The partial chemical analyses

do not su;;est any potential adverse effects -will occur to the

shallow al"luvial ground waters with the exception of the sodium

• adsorption ratio (SAR) and total dissolved solids (TDS). The SAR is

13

much higher than is recommended for irrigation waters. Itis assumed

..

• that the water seeping from. th~,~aste pile woufa:.·tmove· into 0 the

alluvial ." I , , .... ,"; . ground water system on a~radual basis iM-response to th~

periods of precipitation. Therefor~, water quality:int"'th~ alluvium

would be degraded periodically for short reaches· Jd'owr1 gradient from

the t- I-. ~ Lo' • ~.L -: _.:-.

w~ste pile and the primary water quality para~eters-thatwo~ld

be degraded are TOS and SAR.

~l'", - . .;..

water losses from the waste pile is also considered later

in this report together with the losses from the ponds- associated

with the prep. plant.

The probable hydrologic effects of the road pond the auxiliary

pond, the drier pond~ and the refuse pond are determined together

• because it was not possible to. separate out the losses from each

source. The approach taken to assess the effect of the previously

mentioned ponds is to set up a water balance for ~ll water coming in

to the plant and all water losses that can be a~counted for. The

remaining water that can not be accounted for i~ assum~d to be a

loss from the ponds mentioned above. The following narrative

describes the water balance that was used to arrive at the water

los~es that occur f~om the prep. plant (i. e. , in addition tb wate~

losses from" the waste pile).

The year 1981 'was selected as a typical year f~r' th~: wate~

balance. During 1981 832 acre feet 'of water was~ai~~f~ed frbm the

Price River to maintain the amount of water in c~rtulation between

the prep. pla~t and the refuse ponds (documente~' in the Report to

• the Price River Water Users). In addition to the water diverted from

14

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•

•

the river precipitation added another 71 acre fe~~-of water to the

prep. plant water suppl y. Thi s figure was arri vea 1"at by mul ti pI yi ng

the .88.2 acres of pond surface times 9.64 inchesh8fl""'precipitation

for 1981 (Utah State Climatologist's Office, LbgiR; :O£~h,-·personal

communication regarding precipitation for Price, CUt~h).cThe loss of

water to' evaporation wa:s estimated by multiplying:Jthef 88'~2':"Acres-'of

pond surface ti mes 5 feet of annual evaporati on"-(measLlred at the

prep. plant site) losses yielding 441 acre feet of ~oistu~e lost to

evaporation. Therefore, the net input of water to· the prep. plant

water SLtppl y system is 462 acre feet for 1981. The only loss of

water that could be documented from the pr'ep. plant is the

evaporation losses resulting from the heat drier. The figure

provided by the prep. plant personnel for heat drier losses is 14.7

acre feet for 1981. In summary, the net input of: water t6 the prep.

plant water network is 462 acre feet of water, ~ith 14.7 acre feet

of water leaving the site via the heat drier. Therefore, it is

assumed that the remaining water that can not be accounted for in

the previously_ described water balance (i.e., 447.~ acre feet of

water loss) is the loss which occurs from th~' ponds previously

described.

The water quality associated with the pond losses is taken from

the ORP page 783-21. . . -.' The TOS val ues for the auxi·t"iary pond and the

north diversion - .' . ,. ditch averages appro;<imately 4foo milligrams per

liter. The shallow ground w~ter receiving this' ~eepage would be

marginal for watering domestic stock and would be poor for

irrigation use. In contrast to the sporadic seepage from the waste

15

'_

_

_

pile the refLlse ponds would provide a constant slug of affected

water that WOLll d move to the alluvial aquifer down gradient from the

ponds on both the east and west side of the river. The degraded

water quality would dissipate in an unknown distance down gradient

as it mixed with the alluvial ground waters moving along the Price

River valley. In addition, ~ccording to the assumptions made

previously this degraded alluvial ground water is expected to reach

the Price River.

If a further simplifying assumption is made that the degraded

alluvial ground water would be discharged from the ponds and the

refuse pile at a constant rate then approximately 0.64 cfs of pond

seepage would enter the Price River on a regular basis. Using a mass

balance for the refuse pond water quantity (i.e. !I .64 cfs) and

quality (i.e., 4100 milligra.ms per liter TOS) and a high TDS (i.e.,

2,800 milligrams per liter TDS taken above the prep. plant in August

of 1982) and a mean flow value for the Price River at the U.S.

Geological Survey gaging station just below the prep. plant site

(data taken from the ORP for J~ly 1982~ refer to page 783-17 and

783-24) the following conclusions can be made. The resultant water

quality in the Price River is 2,810 milligrams per liter TDS :which

is a negligible increase in TDS over the 2~800 milligrams per liter

TDS already in the river. Therefore~ using the conservative

assumptions described above it is concluded that the quality of

water in the Price River would not be noficably affected by the

cumulative volumes of water lost from the refuse ponds and the -waste

pi 1 e.

16

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•

HYDROLOGIC MONITORING

The purpose of this chapter is to take the discussion- of

hydrologic resources presented in Chapter 2 and the prediction of

probable hydrologic consequences in Chapter 3 and provide a surface

and ground water monitoring plan that addresses all potential

sources of pollution from the prep. plant and that monitors all

hydrologic resources that may receive affected waters from the prep.

plant. The presentation of the hydrologic monitoring plan is

.separated into the surface water and ground water components of the

program. In addition with respect to each monitoring point a

-schedule of monitoring frequency and a list of parameters is

provided.

It should be noted that this monitoring plan is designed to be

a thorough documentation of potential effects resulting from the

prep. plant that agrees with the Guidelines For EstabliShment of

Surface and Ground Water Monitoring Programs provided by the Utah

Division of Oil Gas and Mining. The data should be reviewed on an

-annual basis. If certain parameters are constantly below the limits

of concern then U.S. Steel may propose to the Division of Oil Gas

:and Mining that those parameters be eliminated from the list of

·constituents being analyzed. In addition, if a parameter is'observed

:to have a low degree of variabi~ity, U.S. Steel may propose that the

frequency of observation of that parameter be reduced.

SURFACE-WATER MONITORING

The surface water monitoring program has been designed to

monitor all surface water resources that may be affected by the

~prep. plant and to document the quality of mining related waters

that may percolate from ~ef~se ponds into the shallow ground waters

17

------------------------------------------------~--~

in the area.

• Chapters "2 and 3 have identified the Price River and the

diverted ephemeral drainage along the north dike to be the only

surface water resources that may be affected by the operations

associated with the prep. plant. Therefore, the surface water

monitoring plan includes both of these surface water resources.

Monitoring has been carried out in the past and' will be

cont i nued i n the future on th~..J:~ri ~~. Ri ver above and below the .PIee.

monitoring points SW-l and 5W-2). In -addition, monitoring will also take place on the ephemeral drainage

diversion above and below the portion of the ditch that is adjacent

to the upper refuse pond (i.e., monitoring pOints SW-3 and SW-4).

• The monitoring sites on the ditch shown on Map .1 were selel=ted to be

above and below the -area that may receive seepage of prep. plant

affected waters from the upper refuse pond.

In addition to the monitoring points described ab6ve with

respect to potentially affected surface waters, four other

moni tori ng points are deseri bed here that wi 11 document the: qual i ty

of impounded refuse waters that may seep into the shallow alluvial

ground water system and eventually reach the Price River.

A monitoring point has been established in the uppe~ refuse

impoundment in the vicinity of where the refuse waters initially

enter the pond (refer to monitoring point SW-S on Map 1). This site

• will allow . observation of the variation in the quality of waters

18

entering the refuse pond network. The second m6nitoring site ·e assoc i ated wi th impounded ref use waters is in the' i ower- refuse pond. s'// - ' ..

The third refuse pond monitoring site is located in the clear water

pond adjacent to the Price River (refer to monitoring point SW-7 on

Map 1). This site will document the variability of the quality of

water as it is recycled through the refuse pond ~ystem and as the

clear water pond receives wate~ from the Price River. Between the

three monitoring points just described, the full range of variability

of water quality associated with the refuse ponds will be

documented. In addition, the range of potential contamination to

shallow alluvial ground waters will also be documented.

The last monitoring point associated with impounded refuse

waters is located on the west side of the Price River adjacent to

the prep.

e r-lap 1).

plant in the road pond (refer to monitoring point SW-8 on

This monitoring point will document the quality of water

that is utilized within ~he prep. plant (i.e., and stored in the

road pond, the auxiliary pond, and the drier pond) and that is

discharged from the plant. It should also be noted that this

monitoring point will also serve to document the quality of water

that may seep into the shallow alluvial ground water at this site.

Table 3 provides the sample collecti"on frequency for each of

the surface water monitoring points. Please note that a distinction

has been made with respect to monitoring of perennial streams (i.e.,

the Price River) and ephemeral streams (i.e., the ephemeral stream

diversion) per the Guidelines fpr the Establishment of Surface Water

Monitoring Programs. Please note tha~ flow measurements will. be mad~

at the same time that water quality samples are taken at all

stations where appropriate (i.e., no flow measurements in ponds). ;..

19

•. Table 3. Monitoring frequency for surface water stations.

•

'.

~Qni1Qring ECggH§n£~ Bimonthly* Representative**

SW-l Price River upstream. X SW-2 Price River downstream. X SW-3 Diversion Ditch upstream. X SW-4 Diversion Ditch downstream. X SW-5 Upper Refuse Impoundment. X SW-6 Clear Water Pond. X SW-7 Road Pond near prep. plant. X /

* Once every other month to include the annual high and low flow. ** Sufficient number of samples to define seasonal variability including at least spring snowmelt and thunderstorm runoff. If the diversion ditch receives a continuous discharge of seepage from the adjacent refuse pond then the discharge will be monitored bimonthly.

The surface water parameters, that will be analyzed for on all

surface water samples for at least one year, are presented in

Append i :.: A. This list of parameters is consistent with the

guidelines of the Utah Division of Oil Gas and Mining. The data will

be submitted to the Division on a biannual basis with an annual

summary that interprets the data. U.S. Steel will recommend changes

in the frequency of monitoring and the parameters being monitored as

appropriate following the first year of data collection.:

GROUND WATER MONITORING

The ground water monitoring plan has been designed to

correspond to each of .th~.~ote~t~~l sources of contamination that

were identified in Chapter ,~:_<:.(;:i.e.,_ the refuse pile, the road pond

artd.th.~ rI',""_efusE;!:. impoundments). In addition, the

shallow alluvial groLlndwa~er system was identified in Chapter 2 as

the .~nl y .. gr:.oLt~.d ~ater r:~~~ur,=,c:.::e 't:1l.¥. may be affected by seepage from ;..

20

the previously described contamination sources associated with the

• prep. plant. Therefore!! the ground water monitoring plan provides

monitoring of the shallow alluvial ground water system at each of

the potential sources of contamination. The alluvial wells will--

be ~rilled during the fi~st seasonal I-

opportunity and will be

installed to provide three types of data. First, the wells will be

drilled down through the alluvium to the top of the Blue Gate Shale

to verify the depth of alluvium in the areas being monitored.

Second!! alluvial wells will be completed to allow sampling of

unaffected water quality up gradie~t (i.e., hydraulically higher

than the disturbed aquifers) from the prep. plant. Third!! wells will

be used in groups of three in order to define the hydraulic gradient

for" the plane of the water table in the vicinity of the

• contamination source being monitored • Collection of the three types

of data described above will allow calculation of the amount of

water moving through the alluvium and away from the contamination

sources. This information on flow rates together with the quality of

affected (i.e., down gradient from the contamination source) and

unaffected waters (i.e., up gradient from the contamination source)

will provide thorough documentation of the effects associated with

the prep. plant.

It should be noted, that throughout the ground water monitoring

program the following assumptions that have been supported in

previous chapters influenced the placement of the ground water

monitoring . network: 1.The shallow alluvial ground water system; is

the only a~uifer in hydrauliC contact with the potential sources of

• contamination at the- prep. plant; 2.The Blue Gate Shale acts as a

21

perching bed by restricting the downward mQv~~ent out of the

• alluvial aquifer to lower strata; . 1··

3.The gradient of :ground water in

the alluvium roughly reflects the topography (i.e:: moving from the

foot hills towards the Price River. In the valley of the Price River

ground water is assumed to move in the direction of the trend of the

valley and towards the Price River; 4.The north dl~ersion ditch is

serving to cut-off the ground water seepage from the upper refuse

pond; 5.Wells located topographically higher than the potential

contamination source are assumed to be hydraulically up gradient

from the contamination source. Therefore samples taken from wells at

this location are assumed to provide water quality in~icative of the

alluvial aquifer without the effects of the prep. plant •

•• Ground water monitoring in the vicinity of the refuse pile

located on the west side of the river adjacent to the prep. plant

will be conducted to gather the monitoring data previously

described. Three alluvial wells will be utilized to monitor down

gradient from the refuse pile (i.e., between the refuse pile and

the river). Two wells will be located adjacent to the refuse pile

while the third well will be further down gradient in the direction

of the Price River. As par·t of the moni tori ng program associ ated

with the waste pile quarterly leachat~ snalyses takeN from the waste

rock will also be collected +or at lea~t one year.

22

Three wells will be located around the road pond and auxiliary

• pond to document the effect of water seepage from these locations •

Two wells will be located adjacent to and down gradient from the

pan d s (i. e. , between the ponds and the Price River). The third well

will be further in the direction of the river in order to document

the gradient of the water table toward the river.

Two additional wells will be placed up gradient from the refuse

pile and the two ponds near the prep. plant. One well will be

located out in the valley of the Price River to document unaffected

water quality along the Price River alluvial ground water system.

The second well will be located up gradient from the potential

contamination sources along the valley margin to see if the

• unaffected water quality moving from the foot hills is of different

quality than alluvial ground water along the Price River valley. It

should also be noted that the down gradient wells in the vicinity of

the prep_ plant have also been located to provide an observation of

the gradient of the alluvial ground water along the trend of the

Price River valley.

In summary, the wells that have been sch~duled for placement

around the prep. plant will provide the following documentation with

respect to the shallow alluvial ground water system: 1.The

unaffected water quality; 2~The water quality effect o~ the

• contamination sources; and 3.The gradient of the water table in -. order to verify the direction and volume of ground water flow in the

23

- (' '-1--, :::_t. ar~a·f utI_~-: st"1.ou1 d -be noted, ~:C\t -:for':- fotllre work dtf'r'-i z-i ng the data

° .-::'-o:f=Ol;:1~~ ~y this monitoring°'-program can :arso-'°i:itfli:;:e the

•

;oeo

that have been measured for the alluvial materials

during p~evious geotechnical investigations that have been conducted

at the p~ep. plant.

As described in Chapter 2 and 3 the refuse ponds are located in

a swail between two low hills. The entire area is underlain by Blue

Gate Shale ·that impedes the downward movement of ground water

seepage from the refuse ponds. Therefore, the opportunities for

hydraulic communication of the refuse ponds with the shallow

alluvial ground water system is to the north along the upper refuse

pond and to the south west along the clear water pond. For this

reason two sets of wells have been scheduled to be located at the

northern and southern end of the refuse pond system.

At the northern end of the upper refuse pond-two wel1~ have

beEn scheduled to document the water quality and water levels in the

alluvium adjacent to the ponds. There is not a need for a third

well .to document the hydraulic gradient at this loc~tion because it

has been assumed that the diversion ditch is serving as a ground

water cutoff to the north and as such can be considered the lowest

point of ground water potential- in the area.

At the south western end of the refuse pond system two wells

~ave been scheduled to be immediately adjacent to the clearwater

pond. These wells are deSigned to measure the water quality

water levels in the alluvial ground water system down gradient

24

and

from

• the refuse ponds. A third well has been located further to the south

west in the direction of the Price River to document the gradient of

the water table toward the Price River.

One additional well to those mentioned above has been located

on the east side of the Price River North of the refuse ponds to

document the unaffected water quality in the alluvium up gradient

from the the refuse ponds. The selected location is considered to be

a good site to document the unaffected water quality in ·this

alluvial ground water system because the diversion ditch is

considered the ground water low point in the ~re~ that would prevent

the migration of affected ground water to the north of the ditch.

In summary!! the ground water monitoring progaram for the area

• e~st of thE Price River in the vicinity of the rEfuse ponds h~s been

de~igned to document the rate and quality of ground water flQW from

the refuse ponds.

wat~r monitoring will be conducted in accordance with

t~~ Guide!i~ss for Ground ~~ter MonitQrin~ provid~d by the Utah

~~t~r levels will

Guarterly. ~2ter qualIty wi!l ~:sc be ~Easu~ed quartErly ~n C~~2~ to

I=.rervi de -----.:. -.!..--' ;.':":) = ~_i:_ ..i. ::: _ =~ __

the potent: =.1 cont~min~tion sources and the ~~ter quality in thE

• 2~ presentE~ in Appendix A.

All da~a will be submitted to the Utah Division of Oil G~5 6nd

Mining on a biannual basis. An annual summary interpreting the

will also be provided. As mentioned previcusly. u.s. will

r~view the information fallowing a year of dat~ collection and

propose mc~ific2tiQn~ to the fr2quency and p~rameter5 being modified