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West Elk Mine 2013 Annual Hydrology Report 19 <br />3.1.3.8 South Prong Creek <br />South Prong Creek is an ephemeral stream that is tributary to Upper Minnesota Creek. <br />The north fork of South Prong Creek drains the southern portion of the SOD mine plan <br />area. The monitoring station on South Prong Creek is located at the mouth of the <br />drainage (Map 2) and does not have a flume or data logger. Preliminary flow and water <br />quality data were collected during a one time sampling round of this site in 2005 <br />(HydroGeo, 2006). South Prong Creek is not part of the current (WY 2013) monitoring <br />program. Baseline monitoring is scheduled to resume in about 2017, or at least one year <br />prior to when mining begins in the area, in order to monitor potential mining induced <br />impacts. <br />3.1.4 Temperature Monitoring Sites <br />The surface lands of the West Elk Mine are drained to the north by the NFGR. Water <br />from the mine water pumping facility (MWPF) discharge point enters the NFGR via <br />Sylvester Gulch. In September 2007 temperature data loggers were installed and <br />deployed in Sylvester Gulch and in the NFGR, in order to monitor the effects of <br />discharge from Sylvester Gulch on the water temperature of the NFGR. <br />Five temperature loggers (ONSET Corp. HOBO Water Temp Pro v2) were deployed <br />within Sylvester Gulch, and three within the NFGR (Table 4). The temperature loggers <br />are weighted with an anchor and attached to secure points on the shore or in the <br />streambed using aircraft grade galvanized steel cable. Data from the temperature loggers <br />are downloaded on -site monthly by HydroGeo (whenever ice or dangerously high water <br />levels do not prevent access to the loggers). <br />The locations of the temperature monitoring sites are shown on Figure 8. Water <br />temperature data and graphs for WY 2013 are presented in Appendices I and J, <br />respectively. <br />June 2014 HydroGeo, Inc. <br />