Laserfiche WebLink
Dan Hernandez <br />June 3, 2013 <br />Page 12 <br />stream upstream of the Southfield Mine and through the stretch of stream crossing the mine site <br />area. <br />In the October 2, 2012 letter K2T LLC asks what has happened to Newlin Creek and that "...It <br />seems to have disappeared." This combination of a lack of discharge from the Vermejo <br />Formation to Newlin Creek as previously indicated, the City of Florence diversion resulting in a <br />stretch of losing stream condition through the mine site area, and isolation of the coals seams <br />from the overlying Newlin Creek accounts for the lack of water in Newlin Creek within the Mine <br />vicinity. The City of Florence pipeline probably accounts for the biggest factor contributing to <br />the lack of water in Newlin Creek. As shown on the computer- generated cross - sectional views <br />in Appendix C the Red Arrow and Jack O' Lantern coal seams dip to the northwest well below <br />Newlin Creek for them to have any effect whatsoever on the amount of available water in the <br />stream channel. <br />Conclusion & Recommendations <br />The determination of probable hydrologic consequences prepared for the PAP by the operator <br />appears to be consistent with recent Findings made by the DRMS and this is supported by the <br />groundwater data presented in the Annual Hydrology Reports. Only the Trinidad Sandstone and <br />colluvial/alluvial terrace and valley deposits can be considered as potential aquifers for water <br />supply purposes. Both of these units are hydraulically separated from the interval to be effected <br />by mining by a stratigraphic sequence consisting primarily of interbedded and cross bedded <br />siltstones and shales which appear to have very low vertical permeabilities. Possible effects <br />from subsidence upon these alluvial /colluvial deposits was considered during the permitting <br />process but deemed negligible since no water was ever documented in these surface deposits. <br />Complete diversion of Newlin Creek upstream of the mine area results in elimination of base <br />flow and dry streambed conditions from the point of diversion to the confluence of Newlin and <br />Hardscrabble Creeks located outside of the permit area. <br />Other stratigraphic units in both the mine and loadout areas including the Poison Canyon, Raton <br />and Vermejo Formations may contain perched saturated zones. However, their value as potential <br />aquifers is severely limited by low horizontal and vertical transmissivity resulting from extensive <br />interbedding of individual lithologic units. With the exception of abandoned mine workings <br />exploration drilling in the mine area has not encountered any significant aquifers or other <br />groundwater resources within the noted formations. <br />There has been extensive underground mining within the mine plan and adjacent areas and <br />most of the abandoned underground workings have gradually flooded. Within the mine area <br />flooded underground mine workings generally represent the most significant source of <br />groundwater and they may function as storage reservoirs for groundwater. Generally <br />groundwater in the mine and adjacent areas flows from outcrop or subcrop recharge areas to the <br />west - northwest toward the axis of the Chandler Syncline. The existence of the mine workings <br />will permanently modify the pattern of ground water flow. The flooded mine constitutes a <br />region of essentially infinite permeability that will tend to cause ground water to preferentially <br />pass through the workings. The water passing through the flooded mine may be degraded in <br />quality, relative to that in the undisturbed strata. <br />