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<br />- 3 - <br /> <br />bottom lands upstream from this mine. The old, nearly abandoned mining community <br />of Slick Rock lies just downstream from the mine; a few people were living there <br />at the time of the survey. Since no wells are known to be in those immediate <br />areas, there is a possibility that some occupants use river water for domestic <br />purposes. Below the mine but above the mill, a farm irrigates 20 to 25 acres <br />of alfalfa. The farmer has 20 to 30 head of cattle which use the river as a <br />source of drinking water and are partially fed on the alfalfa. <br /> <br />Drinking water for the mill and trailer community is taken from a <br />series of 5 deep wells owned and operated by Union Carbide Nuclear Company. <br />This well water is stored in a large man-made cavern in the hill above the mill <br />'and is chlorinated before distribution. It is reported that the main domestic <br />well is located on the edge of a draw and is susceptible to flooding at times <br />of high water. Trailer community sewage is treated in a septic tank with <br />subsurface disposal field. <br /> <br />Process water for the Slick Rock mill is taken from a pool behind a small <br />rock dam in the Dolores River and is supplemented by wells in times of extremely <br />low flow. Cattle graze in the area below the mill and are watered from one <br />of the company wells. Horses imported during the time of the survey for employee <br />recreation refused to drink the river water, possibly due to its high saline <br />content. <br /> <br />Present knowledge indicates individual facilities for water and sewage <br />serve the 20 people at Bedrock. <br /> <br />Uravan Area <br /> <br />Naturita draws its domestic water supply from the San 'Miguel River; <br />treatment is by settling and chlorination. A rated aeration sewage treatment <br />plant has been completed recently and put into operation. <br /> <br />Domestic water for the Uravan community is taken from company-owned <br />wells on the north side of the San Miguel River and given conventional treat- <br />ment before use. This source also furnishes water for the community swimming <br />pool.- Process water for the mill is taken from a diversion channel supplied <br />bya small dam just upstream from the town. Before the rain during the second <br />balf of the survey, the entire flow of the San Miguel River was diverted through <br />this channel. Brine used in the ion exchange process is pumped from a well in <br />Paradox Valley, just east of the Dolores River. Community sewage is treated <br />in many septic tanks with subsurface disposal. There is no apparent discharge <br />to the river from these. <br /> <br />A ranch below Uravan irrigates about 70 acres with water taken from the <br />San Miguel River above the Uravan mill diversion dam. <br /> <br />Dolores River below Mouth of San Miguel River <br /> <br />A ranch northwest of Uravan (near Station US-14) irrigates approximately <br />20 acres of alfalfa. At the time of this survey, the field was being irrigated <br />from a source other than the Dolores River, reportedly because of its high salt <br />