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King Coal Mine (C- 1981 -035) <br />MT -07 <br />Point Lookout lies more than 200 feet below the King Coal Mine workings. Water supply wells <br />that are located within one mile of the permit area and are likely completed in the Point <br />Lookout Sandstone include the Haugen, Funk, Beyer, and Etheridge wells, and those of the Vista <br />de Oro subdivision, located more than % mile west of the King II permit boundary. <br />The only natural springs located within one mile of the King I and II Mines are the Huntington <br />Springs, located on the north side of Hay Gulch, west of the reclaimed La Plata No. 1 Mine (File <br />No. C- 1987 -072). This spring may flow from either the lower Menefee Formation or the Hay <br />Gulch alluvium. A water right to the Huntington Springs was adjudicated and subsequently <br />abandoned, as documented during permitting of the now terminated La Plata No. 1 Mine. The <br />Huntington Springs are beyond the area of influence of the King I and 11 Mines. <br />Surface Water Hydrology (4.05 and 4.07) <br />The surface facilities of the King I and II Mines are located in ephemeral drainages that are <br />tributary to Hay Gulch. The King I workings extended southward beneath the Pine Gulch <br />ephemeral drainage. Pine Gulch flows into Hay Gulch approximately two miles downstream <br />from the permit area. Hay Gulch is a tributary of the La Plata River, and their confluence is <br />located about six miles downstream (south) from the permit area. <br />Northwest of the King II Mine lies East Alkali Gulch, an ephemeral stream. East Alkali flows to <br />the southwest and south, ultimately joining Hay Gulch approximately seven miles downstream <br />of the permit area. <br />There are no perennial streams within the permit area. Surface water in the ephemeral <br />drainage basins, where mine surface facilities are located, is limited to runoff from rainfall and <br />snowmelt events. Runoff from most of the undisturbed upper parts of drainages is diverted <br />around the disturbed areas through ditches and culverts. With the exception of runoff from <br />main haul roads, runoff from disturbed areas is passed through sediment control ponds which <br />discharge into Hay Gulch. <br />Hay Gulch does not have a stream channel in the vicinity of the permit area. Historically, <br />surface flow in Hay Gulch has been diverted into the irrigation ditch on the north side of the <br />Gulch. This ditch carries water that has been diverted from the La Plata River. At times, the <br />ditch water has been reported to be high in salinity, rendering it unsuitable for irrigation use. <br />The operator documented the baseline quality of the ditch water by sampling the ditch twice <br />per year for two irrigation seasons ending in 1998, and for 12 months in 2005. The 2005 <br />samples found total dissolved solids of less than 200 mg /I for most of the year. Although not a <br />requirement of the permit, the operator has continued to sample and analyze water from the <br />ditch on a quarterly basis. <br />An ephemeral stream channel likely existed in the bench area of the King I Mine prior to initial <br />disturbance of the site. Runoff from larger events would occur as channel flow, while smaller <br />events would primarily recharge the alluvium from side -slope areas. With reclamation of the <br />site, a channel will be reconstructed through the facilities area. A review of the channel design <br />indicates it meets the requirements of Rule 4.05.3. Channels disturbed at the King II Mine will <br />also be regraded to approximate original contour to meet the requirements of Rule 4.05.3. <br />Page 6 of 16 <br />