The Environment is High Priority       Water Quality   To meet the stringent standards, a series of carefully designed, constructed and certified settling ponds has been built to collect water draining from active mining areas as well as runoff water from recently reclaimed lands. These ponds are used to bring water into compliance with UCM's discharge permits.  Half of UCM's laboratory is dedicated to water testing. Water is collected during the summer season, approximately 22 weeks out of the year from May to October. In the laboratory, water samples are tested for levels of iron, manganese, settleable and suspended (not filterable) solids, turbidity and pH.  Pond levels, runoff, and precipitation events are all documented.