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February 2Q 14 Page 1 -1 <br />1.0 <br />Ne Elk Coal Company (NECC) owns and operates the New Elk underground coal mine <br />and preparation plant in southern Colorado. This report presents the hydrologic monitoring <br />activities conducted at the mine during 2014 and analysis of trends over a thirty year monitoring <br />period (1984 to 2014). The remainder of this section describes the mine site area and the current <br />hydrologic monitoring program. Section 2.0 describes the monitoring methods used for this <br />program w 'le Section 3.0 provides the monitoring data for the year. Section 4.0 discusses <br />mitigative i rieasures taken to minimize disturbance to area hydrologic functions and Section 5.0 <br />describes pans for future hydrologic monitoring activities. Data and information related to this <br />assessment are presented as appendices to this report. <br />Previous production from the New Elk Mine occurred intermittently from the Allen coal <br />seam between 1952 and 1988. The mine was temporarily sealed in 1989 and allowed to flood. <br />Monitoring data including the depth to water and water quality were collected for the mine pool <br />between February 2001 and November 2008. These data are presented previous annual <br />hydrologic reports. Active dewatering of the mine resumed from the East Portal Air Shaft in <br />December 2008 to facilitate entry and rehabilitation of the mine. <br />1.1 Site l Description <br />The New Elk East Portal area is located three miles east of Stonewall and seven miles <br />west of Weston in T33S, R68W in Las Animas County, Colorado. The mine is situated in <br />mountains terrain with numerous canyons contributing runoff to the drainages of ephemeral, <br />intermittent and perennial streams of the area (see Map 8, Regional Hydrology, in the permit <br />document). The New Elk Mine is located on the Middle Fork of the Purgatoire River, about <br />1.5 miles upstream of the confluence of the North Fork. Most surface facilities of the mine are <br />adjacent, and underground mining occurred under and to the north and south of the Purgatoire <br />River, in an area known as the Picketwire Valley. The mine was temporarily closed and sealed <br />in 1989. Dewatering ceased and the lower areas of the mine were gradually flooded. <br />NE C has resumed mining in the Allen and Blue Seams. Mining in the Allen Seam <br />began in Ja auary 2012. Mining in the Blue Seam began at the end of 2011 when the rock slopes <br />from the BE tes Portal were complete. Currently the mine is on "care and maintenance status" and <br />no mining operations are in process as of June 2014. <br />The Purgatoire River is the primary stream drainage in the area of the mine. The <br />headwaters of the Purgatoire are located on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain <br />Range west of the mine area. The general direction of stream flow is easterly to the confluence <br />with the Arkansas River, also in Las Animas County. The principal tributary of the Purgatoire <br />River whit drains in the vicinity of the mine permit area is Apache Canyon. Apache Canyon <br />drains a watershed of approximately 7,264 areas. Cover in the canyon is primarily woodland <br />with an herbaceous valley bottom. Primary land use is grazing and wildlife habitat. Surface <br />mine features within the Apache Canyon (on the left fork) include two ventilation shafts. <br />Portions o Apache Canyon have been undermined (by room - and - pillar mining). Apache <br />Canyon di charges into the Purgatoire River above the Golden Eagle Mine reclaimed area. <br />Apache Canyon was determined not to meet alluvial valley floor criteria. <br />