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42.04 APPLICATION FOR PERMIT FOR SIIRFACE OR IINDERGROUND MINING ACTIVITIES -- <br />MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR INFORMATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES. <br /> <br />2.04.7 Aydrology Description. <br />C2) Surface Water Information. <br />(a) and (b) (Cont'd.) <br />just above Paonia (Farmers Ditch) withdraw significant <br />flows and cause significant dewatering of the river. <br />Some of this water returns to the river in the vicinity <br />of and beloca Paonia. <br />Irrigation has significant effects on water volwne and <br />quality of the North Fork. It contributes to reduced <br />flows and increased salinities, nutrients, and probably <br />herbicide/pesticide levels. Indirectly, lower flows <br />contribute to higher summer temperatures. The munici- <br />pality of Hotchkiss (below Paonia), and several smaller <br />communities along the valley and mesas are also sources <br />of nutrients as the result of effluents from discharges <br />directly into the river and through groundwater. There <br />is little industrial use or discharge of water to the <br />North Fork, particularly in the upper part of~the val- <br />ley, although several coal mines have operated in the <br />• past or are presently operating. At times discharges <br />upstream of the Colorado Westmoreland Inc, operation <br />may have a deleterious affect on water quality of the <br />North Fork. <br />The North Fork of the Gunnison River, into which <br />streams draining the Somerset Coal Field flow, is se- <br />verely impacted by human activities, primarily agricul- <br />ture. Coal mines in the area currently discharge lit- <br />tle or no effluent into the river system. Near Somer- <br />set, the water is a calcium bicarbonate type, typical <br />of runoff from mountain areas, and contains an average <br />dissolved-solids concentration of 100 to 150 mg/1. <br />Downstream, between Paonia and Hotchkiss, water quality <br />changes only slightly during spring runoff, but de- <br />grades rapidly during the remainder of the water year <br />in response to increased agricultural activities. Af- <br />ter spring runoff is over, the water changes to a cal- <br />cium, magnesia, sodium, sulfate type, reflecting ac- <br />tive leaching by irrigation return flow. Dissolved <br />solids concentrations increase to more than 1,500 mg/1 <br />during middle and late summer and average about 500 <br />mg/1 through the fall and winter months. <br />Revised 08/01/84 <br />. Revised 10/01/87 <br />44 <br />