Norwest: Water Permitting and Compliance


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Water Permitting and Compliance Our Services Geology Engineering Field Services Water Resources Surface and Groundwater Hydrology Water Control and Management Water Permitting and Compliance Environmental Assessment & Remediation Environmental Management Consulting	Home > Our Services > Water Resources > Water Permitting and Compliance Water Permitting and Compliance Norwest offers comprehensive permitting and regulatory compliance services from field management and compliance services to local, state and federal permitting assistance. Our environmental specialists are competently versed in all aspects of environmental compliance including Federal, State and Local environmental requirements for mining and energy development throughout North America and the world. Our services include: Federal Land Management Agencies Plans of Operation/Plans of Development Water Management Plans Environmental Assessments/Impact Statements Annual Reporting Mining Agency Baseline Data Collection and Evaluation Water Resources Evaluations Water Supply and Water Rights Evaluations Mine water management plans; both surface and ground water Geochemical testing and modeling Mine water treatment, passive and active Compliance reporting State Water Quality Permitting Individual and General Point Source Discharge Permits (NPDES) Storm Water Permits Land Application Disposal Permits Groundwater Discharge Permitting & Compliance Alternate Concentration Limits Use Attainability Studies & Water Quality Classification Total Maximum Daily Loading Studies Specific parameter compliance plans (i.e. selenium, SAR, etc.) Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plans Discharge Monitoring Reports Erosion & Sediment Control Stormwater Management Plans Design & Construction of Best Management Practices (BMPs) BMP Performance Evaluation Inspection, Oversight, and Audits Oil and Gas Commission Exploration and production water and waste disposal through injection well design and permitting Pit Design Water Management Plans Wildlife Management Plans Water sampling including ground water, domestic wells and surface water Compliance inspections Reporting State Engineer’s Office Impoundment/Reservoir Applications Well Permits Substitute water supply plans/water augmentation plans and periodic accounting Tributary/non tributary modeling U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nationwide Permit Applications Individual Permit Applications	Case Study Colorado, USA Situation: In response to a Colorado Supreme Court ruling, the Colorado Division of Water Resources passed new regulations requiring coal bed methane wells to be permitted as water wells and any water withdrawn from these wells be subject to Colorado’s water appropriation system. If the withdrawn water is tributary to the surface water system a plan to protect senior water rights holders is required (typically a substitute water supply plan followed by a water augmentation plan). Several coal bed methane operators asked Norwest to evaluate the tributary nature of groundwater pumping from coal bed methane wells in a major coal bed methane producing basin in the State. Solution: Norwest developed a calibrated numeric model of the groundwater flow systems from below the coal bed methane production zone up to the ground surface in order to evaluate the degree of interaction between groundwater and surface water. The model was used to delineate the tributary/ nontributary groundwater boundary in the producing formations and determine the degree of protection needed for existing water rights. Result: After submittal to the Division of Water Resources Norwest provided expert testimony and support of the model in adjudicatory hearings. The Colorado State Engineer ruled that the model and supporting testimony provided clear and convincing evidence of the tributary/ nontributary groundwater boundary for the basin. The clients were then able to develop a substitute water supply plan based on the modeled impacts to the surface water right holders.
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