No power plant aids N-aquifer
Black Mesa Environmental Impact Statement to be reactivated
By Kathy Helms, Diné Bureau,
Gallup Independent, APRIL 14,2008
WINDOW ROCK — The Black Mesa Environmental
Impact Statement is being reactivated, however the preferred
alternative, which includes the C-aquifer pipeline,
reportedly will be eliminated.
John Stucker, senior mining engineer
for the Navajo Nation Minerals Department's Surface
Mining Program, said Friday that with the closure of
Mohave Generating Station, Alternative A is no longer
necessary, because the coal slurry pipeline that transported
coal from Black Mesa Mine to Mohave is no longer operating.
“As far as we know, there is not a proponent
for the Mohave Generating Station, which the Black Mesa
project was geared for.”
Because the coal slurry pipeline is
not operating, a significant amount of water has not
been pumped out of the N-aquifer since 2005.
“What's good about that is that all
the studies that were done on the modeling of the N-aquifer
are proving to be correct. The aquifer is coming up,”
Stucker said. “I've seen the reports that have been
done by USGS and others, and there is a definite rebound
of the N-aquifer.”
Black Mesa Delegate Amos Johnson said
that report “really shows that there was an impact from
the mining operation, which they flatly denied every
time.”
Beth Sutton of Peabody Western Coal
Co., had not responded to questions this morning and
OSM officials were out of the office on Friday.
“The preferred alternative for the Black
Mesa EIS a year and a half ago was to build a water
delivery system in Leupp, take some of that water to
the mine, develop southern Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation
water systems off of that, mine some additional coal
on the Black Mesa Mine, and deliver the coal via the
coal slurry pipeline to Mohave Generating Station,”
Stucker said.
“There was a coal wash plant that was
going to be built, and a new right of way that was going
to go across Hopiland. Well, that stuff is all nil.
As far as we know, it's not going to happen. The only
thing right now is to maintain the existing mining operation
in Kayenta, which is right next door to Black Mesa,
to deliver coal to Navajo Generating Station.”
The proposed C-aquifer system was one
of the alternative water sources to replace pumping
by Peabody Western Coal Co. of pristine N-aquifer water.
Alternative B, which Stucker said will become the new
preferred alternative, does draw some water from the
N-aquifer.
Under Alternative B, 18,984 acres associated
with the Black Mesa mining operation, including 127
acres for the coal-haul road, would be incorporated
into the expanded permit area.
The Kayenta operation would continue
through 2026 and use an average of 1,236 acre-feet per
year of N-aquifer water through 2025; up to 500 af/yr
for reclamation and public use from 2026 to 2028, and
up to 444 af/yr for post reclamation maintenance and
public use from 2029 to 2038.
The wells would be transferred to the
tribe once Peabody completes reclamation and relinquishes
the leases.
Calvin Johnson of Leupp, a member of
“C-Aquifer for Dine,” said, “The Black Mesa Project
EIS should be redone because Peabody is asking for Alternative
B. When you do a proposal and when figures or plans
change, you have to redo everything.”
Johnson said there is a proposal to
use one of Peabody’s wells for the Manymules Water Supply
Project. “It's going to be a community, domestic water
supply that's going to come in four phases. Right now
I have a legislation that's going to go to the Council
requesting $4.4 million to at least get it started for
phase one.”
The other phases would be funded by
Office of Environmental Health or Indian Health Service,
he said. “The concern I have is if Peabody is just going
to go back to using the well, then that's going to be
a problem with finishing this project.”
Stucker said he was informed by the
U.S. Office of Surface Mining that they are going to
try to finalize the EIS by the end of the year. “They
found out about this on Wednesday, that they were going
to complete it, but they do not have a plan yet.”
Under Alternative B, the Black Mesa
mining operation, coal-slurry preparation plant, and
coal-slurry pipeline would not resume operations. The
coal-washing facility and the C-aquifer water supply
system would not be constructed.
Stucker said Black Mesa Pipeline
Co., has an office building and other facilities that
the Nation might want left in place, thought tribal
officials have not yet approached BMPC about it. “The
only problem there is that lease area that they have
is surrounded by the Peabody lease, so access is what
we will have to work out. It shouldn't be a big deal.”
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