Oklahoma Administrative Code
Title 785 - Oklahoma Water Resources Board
Chapter 30 - Taking and Use of Groundwater
Subchapter 15 - Water Trapped in Producing Mines
Part 5 - AUGMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT PLANS
Section 785:30-15-5 - Augmentation
Universal Citation: OK Admin Code 785:30-15-5
Current through Vol. 42, No. 1, September 16, 2024
(a) Stream augmentation.
(1) A mine operator may claim credit for one
hundred percent (100%) of the amount of water it discharges to a stream
emanating from a Sensitive Basin during a time of low flow that is less than or
equal to the 50% exceedance listed by the USGS within the watershed where the
mine is located. If the receiving stream or watershed is ungaged or does not
have calculated median flow data available, the Board will utilize the USGS
StreamStats extrapolation model or other method to calculate the 50%
exceedance.
(2) The Board will
review the 50% exceedance for gaged streams within the watershed on an annual
basis.
(3) A mine operator shall
monitor the flow conditions at the designated stream gage in order to determine
whether and when stream augmentation credit can be obtained. The flows, dates
and volumes of water discharged to a stream for augmentation credit shall be
identified by the mine operator in the quarterly and annual reports required by
82 O.S. §
1020.2(E)(1).
(4) There shall be no credit for
any water discharged to streams when the unaugmented flow is greater than the
50% exceedance.
(b) Groundwater augmentation.
(1) A
mine operator may claim credit for one hundred percent (100%) of the amount of
water that is placed in a groundwater augmentation basin that meets the
requirements of this Section, less any water diverted from such
basin.
(2) To qualify for credit,
the mine operator must satisfy the following:
(A) The operator shall make a one-time water
balance demonstration to the satisfaction of the Board that recharge from the
subject groundwater augmentation basin exceeds evaporation. Once such a
demonstration has been made, no accounting for evaporation or vegetative losses
will be required. If a material change is made to the groundwater augmentation
basin, a new demonstration shall be made for the changed basin.
(B) Each groundwater augmentation basin shall
have a staff gage or other measuring device at least as accurate installed such
that the gage registers the lowest water level in the basin. The staff gage or
other appropriate device must be readable from a readily accessible location
adjacent to the basin.
(3) No specific design or maintenance
requirements need be followed for dedicated recharge structures provided that
they shall not be filled by pumping to such a level that they overflow.
(4) The amount of water recharged
to the aquifer from a groundwater augmentation basin shall be calculated on a
mass balance basis. The applicable equation is: GWa = Ba * [(h1 - h2) - (E *
0.7)] + (I - O), where:
(A) GWa is the volume
of water exiting the bottom and sides of the augmentation basin;
(B) Ba is the surface area of the
augmentation basin (assumes vertical sides);
(C) h1 is the elevation of the water level in
the basin at the beginning of the applicable time period determined using the
installed staff gage;
(D) h2 is
the elevation of the water level in the basin at the end of the applicable time
period;
(E) 0.7 is the lake
evaporation coefficient applied to pan evaporation;
(F) E is the calculated pan evaporation rate
determined at the nearest Mesonet station determined as the sum of daily values
for the applicable time period;
(G) I is the total inflow volume of water to
the basin (it may be zero (0)) from all sources (including rainfall) for the
applicable time period determined by measurement or reasonable estimation;
and
(H) O is the total outflow
volume of water from the basin (it may be zero (0)) by all pathways except
evaporation for the applicable time period determined by measurement or
reasonable estimation.
(c) Applications of augmentation credit.
(1) Credit obtained from
augmentation of stream water or groundwater or both may be used by the mine
operator to reduce or offset the amount of consumptive use of pit water by the
operator that exceeds the MEPS.
(2) Credit obtained from augmentation of
stream water or groundwater shall not be considered in the amount used pursuant
to any permit to use stream water or groundwater that the mine operator may
have; provided, the taking, use or disposal of pit water for stream
augmentation pursuant to a Management Plan prepared in consultation with the
Board may be claimed in an annual report of stream water use in order to avoid
forfeiture of a right to use stream water held by the owner or operator of the
mine.
Added at 30 Ok Reg 884, eff 6-13-13
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