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October 2012 Page 3 -4 <br />been far lower than expected. During March and April of 1985, 5,400 ft of the Middle Fork of <br />the Purgatoire River was diverted to the north to create additional room for the coal stockpile at <br />the New Elk Preparation Plant. <br />Data on PAW -8 (Table B -5) and the TDS graph (Figure 3 -5) indicate that seepage from the <br />current refuse disposal area is deteriorating the ground water. Data from PAW -9 downstream of <br />the New Elk facilities indicates dilution having an effect on TDS concentrations. <br />3.2.4 New Elk Mine Water <br />During the third quarter of 1989, the New Elk Mine was sealed and access to the mine <br />workings terminated. Mine inflows are flooding the abandoned mine workings. Previous <br />studies and reports suggested an inflow of 177 gpm and calculated inflows ranged from 142 to <br />468 gpm based on measurements taken at station NEW -4. A number of approximations were <br />made in the calculation of rates of inflow. From mine maps, the dip of the mine floor was <br />determined to be 5 %, and the water line crosses approximately 12,000 linear feet of mined areas. <br />The available volume is based on an average extraction of 60 %. The calculations assume that <br />the entire mined area below the water level measured in NEW -4 is flooded (i.e., no trapped air <br />pockets). <br />Water quality information is being obtained at the New Elk Mine (see NEW -2, Table B- <br />7, NEW -3, Table B -8; and NEW -4, Table B -9). This water is of relatively high conductivity and <br />high concentrations of total dissolved solids, bicarbonate, and sodium. NECC installed a pump <br />at the East Portal airshaft and started dewatering in December 2008. Water quality and quantity <br />information can be found in Appendix B. <br />