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State mining officials and operators pledge to maintain Electric Lake as questions about mine inflow persist
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Summary
Deputy director Dana Dean and division hydrology staff briefed the council on Skyline Mine dewatering, recent well discharges, planned drilling to access formation water, and past hydrologic studies that found no direct proven connection to Electric Lake; they said the company plans to invest in short‑term well work to keep the lake and power plant operating while the state continues monitoring and gathers more data.
Deputy director Dana Dean (Division of Oil, Gas and Mining) told the council that Wolverine Fuels and division staff are actively working to manage water levels at Electric Lake amid an extreme drought year and ongoing uncertainty about where mine inflow is originating.
Dean summarized recent permitting and operational steps: a permitted discharge point (site 005) has been used for years; current permitted discharges approached 3,500 gallons per minute at one monitoring point and other wells (e.g., JC‑1) have discharged at different rates. Dean said the company has mobilized drilling this spring to access formation water outside mine workings and to protect the power plant and lake.
On the question of whether mine pumping caused Electric Lake declines, division staff described a prior outside review (Laughlin Water Associates, cited by the division) of hydrologic studies that concluded there was not a probable hydrologic connection to Electric Lake in the earlier permit record. "We paid an outside party and they said that there was not a probable connection to Electric Lake," Dean said, noting the analysis found the inflow was likely connected to coal‑formation sources rather than a direct surface‑lake conduit.
At the same time, the division acknowledged that the situation is new and that data remain incomplete. Division hydrology staff said tritium and other samples have been taken and that additional monitoring data are pending. Staff committed to return with a more detailed water‑balance presentation when more data are available.
Company actions: Dean said company representatives have said they will invest in summer dewatering work to maintain Electric Lake and the power plant even if mining never resumes at full scale: "They're gonna spend this summer making sure that that lake has water," he said.
What the council asked for: commissioners and members pressed for clarity about long‑term obligations and bonding if a company defaults, and whether bonding currently covers ongoing water responsibilities. Division staff said current bonds focus on reclamation but noted owners and controllers are personally liable under the coal program if a firm becomes defunct; the staff said they will continue to assess monitoring data and, if evidence shows a connection to the lake, may require longer‑term obligations in permits.
Next steps: Division staff agreed to return in a few months with a more complete hydrologic presentation and to continue sharing monitoring results; the council requested a hydrologist presentation on water balance and inflow/outflow data when the new samples are processed.
Sources: Division of Oil, Gas and Mining deputy director Dana Dean and division hydrology staff to the Emery County Public Lands Council; public questions and on‑record responses at the meeting.