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<br />,.. Development of ground water in the Leadville by nearby wells will lower the water level in <br />~ the ground water system at the Yampa Spring and reduce the discharge of the spring. This <br />00 <br />C,)l reduction in flow is directly related to the amount of water pumped by the wells for the <br />proposed development of the geothermal resource. The loss of spring flow will be significant <br />and in time, will represent a large part of the water that is available to the Pool. Table 3, <br />located in the back of this report, presents the impacts on the Yampa Spring as losses of flow <br />for different levels of well development, which range from about 180 to 1,350 gal/min. <br /> <br />LOCATION OF POOL AND SPRINGS <br /> <br />The Pool is located on the <north side of the Colorado River on an upper terrace of the river <br />(Figure 1). It is in a large valley of the Colorado River near its confluence with the Roaring <br />Fork River. The surface materials at the Pool consist of a veneer of floodplain materials <br />including sands, gravel and clays that overlie bedrock units composed of limestone, dolomite, <br />and shale. Springs are numerous in the area and many can be seen in the bed of the <br />Colorado River and along its banks; several are aligned along fault planes, which act as <br />avenues for ground water flow. The springs represent discharge of ground water from the <br />underlying bedrock system that flow to the surface through faults and fractures. <br /> <br />The Yampa Spring is one of many springs in the area and is the primary source of water to <br />the Pool. The Spring is located immediately east of the Pool's main buildings, which are <br />situated so that hot, mineralized water can be diverted easily into the Pool's therapy and <br />main pools. <br /> <br />PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS <br /> <br />The Glenwood Springs area is a known geothermal resource area (1, 3, 5). Studies by the <br />Bureau of Reclamation (BuRec) (3, 4) and the US Geological Survey (Survey) (5) have <br />described the occurrence and characteristics of the resource as have numerous studies by <br />private consulting fIrms. The BuRec studies have been the most extensive; their purposes <br />were to identify the resource and examine alternatives to reduce the flow of mineralized <br />springs into the Colorado River to lower the saJinjty levels of the river. As part of their <br />studies, the BuRec installed observation wells, mapped the locations of the numerous springs, <br />and described the water quality characteristics of the spring flows. <br /> <br />- 2 - <br /> <br />I Bishop-Brogden Associates. Inc. <br />