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West Elk Mine 2014 Annual Hydrology Report 12 <br />3.1 Surface Water Monitoring Program <br />The surface lands of the West Elk Mine are drained to the north by the North Fork, to the <br />south by Minnesota Creek, to the west by Gribble Gulch, and to the east by Deep <br />Creek/Raven Gulch (Map 2). The surface water monitoring program for the permit area <br />includes 23 stream stations comprised of 10 sites with continuous recording devices and <br />13 sites where flow is recorded instantaneously. The stream surface water monitoring <br />sites are divided into three general hydrologic areas for discussion purposes: <br />• Stations in the Upper North Fork drainage basin, <br />• Stations in the Lower North Fork drainage basin; and <br />• Stations in the Minnesota Creek drainage basin. <br />The locations of the 23 surface water monitoring stations are shown on Map 2. The <br />following discussion of the surface water stations on the major drainages and the <br />tributaries to these drainages is presented from upstream to downstream areas. A <br />summary of the surface water monitoring program details is presented in Table 3 and a <br />discussion of the WY 2014 hydrologic impacts is presented in Section 5.1 of this report. <br />In September 2007 eight temperature data loggers were installed and deployed in <br />Sylvester Gulch and in the North Fork, in order to monitor the effects of mine discharge <br />from Sylvester Gulch on the water temperature of the North Fork. Details of the <br />temperature monitoring program are summarized in Section 3.1.4. <br />June 2015 HydroGeo, Inc. <br />