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WCRC Minutes December 4, 2002
Intro of members: JB Alexander, Creede; Jim Matush, Creede; Don Gant, Creede; Steve Yochum, NRCS; Jeff Graves, Colorado Div. Minerals and Geology; Jim Herron, Colorado Div. Minerals and Geology; Les Dobson, US Forest Service; Leigh Ann Vradenburg, Watershed Coordinator; Zeke Ward, Chairman WCRC; Joe Burkett, Creede..
Approval of minutes: No corrections to the November minutes were suggested or submitted. Motion to approve the November minutes was made by Jim Herron; second made by JB Alexander. Motion carried.
Additions/corrections to the agenda: Les Dobson wanted to give an update of reclamation at the Bulldog sites. Steve Yochum also wanted to update the committee on the research that the NRCS was doing for the stream restoration work.
In-Kind: Forms were provided in hard copy for volunteers to track time and other expenses. Leigh Ann encouraged monthly submission of these forms so that records could be kept current.
Coordinator’s report:
Leigh Ann informed the committee of a grant opportunity through the National Forest Foundation Community Assistance Program. This funding is for new or recently formed groups and can be used for basic costs, technical assistance, acquisition of 501(c)(3) status, etc. Leigh said that the next funding cycle did not come around for several months and that in the meantime she would look into whether or not the WCRC would qualify. Zeke indicated that it might also be used for preparation and printing of the Final Characterization Report.
The current 319 grant was expiring, so Leigh Ann filed for an extension. The current deadline for reporting and using all of the funds is June 2003.
Leigh Ann informed the committee that the WCRC was not selected to represent the State of Colorado in the national competition for the Watershed Initiative Grant. The proposals selected were from the Big Thompson Watershed and the Coalition for the Upper South Platte. Leigh Ann said that the NRCS was continuing their work surveying and designing, and that we would seek out other funding sources for the stream restoration project.
The well data was not available from the Sangre de Cristo Lab or the Army Corps for either the water quality or soil analyses.
Old business:
Underground data: Leigh Ann passed out copies of all of the underground data from December 2000 and November 2002. Zeke asked what the next steps were. Jim Herron indicated that the next priority was to plot the water level data. In order to do that he needed to get the elevation at the No Name, set a new spad at the No Name, and get a new water level at the Decline. He said that we had some good data that indicated that inflows into the Commodore were relatively insignificant in flow and contamination. We should repeat the underground sampling in June. The WCRC might also want to investigate the Amethyst 5. Zeke asked if there was a lock at the Amethyst 5, and that if so, who had the keys. Zeke also asked if we could use a simple tracer to track water movement between the Berkshire and the No Name Winze. JB suggested that we could use table salt and look for it with silver nitrate. Jim Herron suggested that we wait on doing a tracer until after we plot the elevations. We also have to get the powder out, fix a couple of spots, and potentially improve access at Daylight Corner. Leigh Ann said that there was a problem mailing the oxygen generators that had been recalled. Jim Herron suggested looking into TriUne in Grand Junction for someone to take the generators.
Agro Report Copies: Leigh Ann gave CD copies of the Agro reports to Les and Jim Herron. She asked what other personal copies would be desired. The committee agreed to a $5 per CD charge for time and materials.
New Business
Summary Report for Waste Rock and Tailings Piles Above Creede: Leigh Ann informed the committee that she had completed a draft of the Summary Report for Waste Rock and Tailings Piles Above Creede and that she would appreciate any comments and suggestions. Zeke asked if we have enough data for characterization and to design remediation. Jim Herron said that we had enough data.
NRCS Update: Steve Yochum informed the committee that he was working on finding local reference reaches so that he could develop regional curves. He also discussed his conclusions regarding the flume and how the area by the railroad bridge crossing could be a problem. At high flows, the water could back up above the bridge and overflow on either side of the flume. This would deliver water into the depression next to the Emperious Tailings Pile. Zeke said that solutions would be either to take the bridge out or to build a levy. Discussions on this topic will continue.
Forest Service Update: Les Dobson informed the committee that the Forest Service closures of hazardous openings was completed this summer. The Homestake reclamation work was nearly complete. The Forest Service and Homestake agreed to a performance standard, which was to be agricultural water quality at the mouth of Windy Gulch.
Bassett Well: Leigh Ann informed the committee that the owners of the private well on the Bachelor Loop were going to have further water testing done for the purposes of designing a treatment system. Their contractor will keep the WCRC in the loop as to their findings.
319 Cycle: Jim Herron asked if the committee was applying for the next round of 319 funding. Zeke said no, because the only potential project would be more Rio Grande testing, and the necessity of that had not been determined yet. We still have the 2002 reclamation project to do this summer for which we already have funding from 319, the Forest Service, and CDMG.
Final Items:
The next meeting will be January 8th to avoid New Year’s Day.
Meeting Adjourned 3:15 PM
Respectfully Submitted, Leigh Ann Vradenburg |