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<br />0,14.2 <br /> <br />stability of this reach may be threatened by under seepage related to the known presence <br />of a deep, highly pervious aquifer centered on an old but now deeply buried channel of <br />the South Platte River. Based on the information provided to us, following is our con- <br />cept of the foundation conditions in the non-cutoff reach of the dam, with particular <br />reference to the deep aquifer. <br />The long, no-cutoff reach is surficially covered with loose aeolian sands, hav- <br />ing thicknesses varying from 0 to 15 ft. The sands, where present, overlie alluvial <br />fan deposits of heterogeneously stratified layers of sands, clayey sands and silty sands <br />having a total thickness of 100 to 150 ft. and having a permeability of generally between <br />50 and 10,000 ft/yr. with an effective "average" on the order of 2000 fl/yr. We note <br />that, probably to be on the conservative side, the USBR seepage analyses utilized sub- <br />stantially higher permeability values. <br />The deep aquifer, as we visualize it, passes under virtually all of the non-cut- <br />off reach of the dam, is composed of pervious gravels, is from 5 to 70 ft. thick, and <br />has an estimated permeability on the order of 100,000 to 300,000 it/yr. <br />The existing basIc ground water table in the non-cutoff reach is on the order of <br />50 to 70 ft. below ground sllrface. Many, very localized, perched water tables prob- <br />ably exist, where limited layers of clayey sand intercept downward seepage from pre- <br />cipitation and irrigation. <br />4. Ground Water and Seepag:e Analysis. It is apparent that the potential <br />seepage conditions around and under the right abutment reach of the dam have been in- <br />tensively studied both by USBR engineers, and on their behalf by USGS specialists. <br />The emphasis on this aspect of the project has related both to potential water loss from <br />the reservoir and to potential safety and stability problems at the dam. It seems appar- <br />ent that the present, primary concern is related to the characteristics of the deep <br />aquifer that passes under the right abutment reach of the dam, as noted earlier. The <br />questions have been basically: (a) How much additional seepage would the aquifer con- <br />vey under project conditions? and (b) Will uplift pressures primarily associated with <br />the known aquifer performance increase under reservoir conditions to a sufficient e.'(- <br />tent to adversely pressurize the presently non-saturated alluvium that would be the <br /> <br />12. <br />