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Natural Soda, LLC 2014 Project Status Report & Annual Plan of Development <br />5.0 Environmental Monitoring and Protection <br />' 5.1 Hydrology Monitoring <br />5.1.1 Introduction <br />NS's hydrology monitoring program concentrates on ground water, as there are no <br />perennial streams or springs located on or near NS's sodium leases. The USGS <br />stream gauging station - monitoring program is conducted, with NS support, to provide <br />regional surface stream flow data on Yellow and Piceance Creeks. <br />' The hydrology- monitoring plan is designed to determine impacts of NS's solution mining <br />operations on underground sources of drinking water, as designated by the US EPA. <br />' Refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 for the locations of existing monitor wells. Groundwater <br />analytical results are presented in Appendix A. <br />' 5.1.2 Stream Gauging Stations <br />NS continues to contract with the USGS to monitor surface water for water quality and <br />' quantity. Monitoring was performed upstream and downstream of the mining operation <br />on Yellow Creek and Piceance Creek at four existing stations with extensive historical <br />data. USGS stream data collected in 2014 will not be available until later in the 2015 <br />calendar year. The 2014 USGS information will be included in the 2015 annual report. <br />Historical stream gauging data is reported in this document and is complete through the <br />2013 water year (October 2012- September 2013). <br />The USGS surface water data are available to the public from the USGS web site at <br />http: / /co.water.usgs.gov. Tables 5 and 6 summarize key 2013 water year data for <br />' surface water on the NS site. <br />A review of USGS stream water quality data indicated no significant change in stream <br />water quality through 2013. The 2013 water year data showed continued drought <br />conditions in Western Colorado and did affect overall stream levels in the area. No <br />effect on stream water quality was noted from the NS operation. <br />' <br />DAUB &pASSOCIATES. INC. . 20 January 2015 <br />