STATE OF WYOMING PUBLIC NOTICE

STATE OF WYOMING PUBLIC NOTICE

THE PURPOSE OF THIS NOTICE IS TO INDICATE THE STATE OF WYOMING'S INTENTION TO CLASSIFY GROUNDWATER TO CLASS 5 MINERAL COMMERCIAL AT AN IN-SITU URANIUM MINE UNDER DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, WATER QUALITY RULES AND REGULATIONS CHAPTER 8.

Uranerz Energy Corp., P.O. Box 50850, Casper, WY 82605 has applied for an in situ uranium mining permit from the Land Quality Division (LQD) of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) of the State of Wyoming. The mining permit area for the mining of uranium will be located in: all or portions of Sections 20, 21, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 32, 33, 34, Township 43 North, Range 76 West; Campbell County and Johnson County, Wyoming. The proposed operation is scheduled to begin in 2019 and is estimated to continue until 2031. A separate public notice has been developed by LQD for the proposed mining permit and is being published simultaneously with this notice.

The purpose of this public notice is to inform the public that, pursuant to Water Quality Division (WQD) Rules and Regulations, WQD proposes to classify the groundwater in the uranium production zones as Class V Mineral Commercial. This classification includes specified production zones for wellfields included in the application in the Wasatch formation "A" and "B" sands at depths of approximately 500 feet. The groundwater, after mining, shall be returned to a condition and quality consistent with the pre-discharge use suitability of the water.

A Statement of Basis for Aquifer Exemption (SOB) has been developed and an aquifer exemption has been requested from the USEPA for those portions of the aquifer coincident with the Class V classification. An aquifer exemption may be authorized by the USEPA under federal regulations 40 CFR 146.4 if it is mineral, hydrocarbon or geothermal energy producing, or can be demonstrated by a permit applicant as part of an Underground Injection Control permit application for a Class II or III operation to contain minerals or hydrocarbons that, considering their quantity and location, are expected to be commercially producible.

An electronic version of the SOB can be viewed on the DEQ website along with this notice at . The SOB (a.k.a. Mining Application Appendix D12) can also be reviewed along with the mining permit application in the LQD office in Cheyenne and Sheridan, the Campbell County Clerk's Office Gillette, and the Johnson County Clerk's Office in Buffalo, Wyoming.

Public comments on the proposed groundwater classification and aquifer exemption shall be submitted in writing and addressed to: Don Fischer, Geologic Supervisor, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division, 2100 West 5th St., Sheridan, WY 82801 or by FAX to (307) 672-2213. Comments submitted by email will not be considered. All written comments received prior to 5:00 P.M, January 23, 2017 in the Sheridan office will be considered.

Any person may request in writing (prior to the end of the public comment period) that a public hearing be held on the proposed groundwater classification and aquifer exemption. Requests should indicate the name and full mailing address of the individual requesting a hearing, the interest that individual has in the project, and the grounds for holding a public hearing. The administrator of the Water Quality Division will determine if a public hearing is warranted.

Requests for a contested case hearing on a final department action appealable to the Council, must be made in writing to the chairman of the Environmental Quality Council and the DEQ Director at 200 West 17th Street, 4th Floor, Cheyenne, WY and state the grounds for the request pursuant to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Rules of Practice and Procedure.

Publish on or before December 22, 2016 in Gillette News Record and Buffalo Bulletin

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download