Environmental Protection Agency
18 February 2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will
hold public hearings on Feb. 23 and 24 to allow additional public
participation and comment on the proposed wastewater permit
renewal for the Peabody Western Coal Company Black Mesa / Kayenta
Complex.
Both hearings will be held from 6-9 p.m. On
Feb. 23 the hearings will be held in Kayenta, Ariz., at the
Kayenta Chapter House on Highway 163 and on Feb. 24 in Kykotsmovi
at the Veterans Memorial Center.
EPA initially took comment on the proposed
permit in February 2009 but decided to withdraw the permit renewal
in order to ensure that community members had adequate
opportunities to comment on the permit decision. In the interim,
the mine continues to operate under a previously issued National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. Comments on the
proposed permit renewal will be accepted through March 31.
The renewed permit will establish runoff limits
and standards based on national guidelines and will ensure that
water quality standards for both the Navajo Nation and the Hopi
Tribe are met. In addition, the renewed permit will incorporate
new regulatory requirements for reclaimed mine areas and will
require the implementation of plans to control sediment and
seepage from stormwater ponds.
The Clean Water Act requires that all
industrial dischargers of wastewater obtain a permit. The Black
Mesa Mine has been operating under a wastewater discharge permit
for over 20 years for the release of treated stormwater related to
mining activities.